Stone and Starfire
by JadeWing
Summary: What was once the land of Cephiro is now jeopardized by evil; two remaining Magic Knights must be summoned. On Earth, Sakura hasn't talked to Syaoran in two years, missing him more each day. Little does she know how much their lives are about to change...
1. Prologue

Starfire and Stone

Stone and Starfire

Prologue

Hello everybody! This is yet another crossover fic that came as I finished reading the last Magic Knight Rayearth manga. It doesn't seem like it at first, but this IS a CCS fic too. I thought that there was a lot of potential for a continuation of both CCS and MKR, and so I smashed the together and came out with this. Enjoy!

Oh yeah, and it's dedicated to Lenna, Nelly, and Kyra because not only are you guys kick-ass writers, but you love MKR too and *_* you write kick-ass reviews! T_T I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Nope, no ownership here. Try some other fic.

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Eighteen-year-old Hikaru Shido stood in one of the indoor gardens of Sendelvon, gazing broodingly out the window. It had been a long time since that last, painful battle, but at least it had had a happy ending. After all, there would never be a tragic fight again, never be three more young women summoned from Earth to kill the one who helped them. Cephiro had lost the Pillar system, and she, Umi, and Fuu were able to freely travel between worlds. The land was renamed Sendelvon. It was prospering under the just ruling of the Seven. 

The Seven were she, Lantis, Umi, Ascot, Fuu, Ferio, and Clef. Of all the people in Sendelvon, they supported the most of the land with their hearts. All others combined held up only half of the world, but it still was better than the Pillar system. No one was forbidden to have another love besides Sendelvon, which meant the sad battle between Pillar and Magic Knights would never be fought again. 

She sighed. The only downside was that each of the Seven was invaluable, and she most of all. Should one of them die, or become unable to support Sendelvon, the section they controlled would hold itself up for a little while, but eventually crumble away. That meant they would have to live forever, or else have Sendelvon slowly melt away as they passed away, one by one. 

There had to be a solution, but what was it?

Hikaru turned away from the window, wincing guiltily at the storm clouds outside that her sad thoughts had caused. Closing her eyes, she thought of something to make her happy, and they vanished. 

"Hikaru?" Umi slipped in through the door, followed by Fuu. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she replied. It had been four years since the last battle, and they had all grown. Umi in particular had shot up again, and now she was almost on eye-level with Ascot. Of course, neither of them had minded that much–they'd officially become a couple three years ago, and it meant Ascot didn't have to bend in half to kiss her. "The flowers are looking a little dry, though," Hikaru said pointedly.

"Really?" Umi gestured, and a shower of droplets rained down on the plants. Although the Mashin had gone, the Magic Knights had retained their powers, and they used them often. After all, just because they weren't wearing the Spirits didn't mean they weren't Magic Knights still. 

"What were you thinking about?" Fuu asked, looking out the window.

"Wellthe system of Seven," she admitted. "It bothers me, but what are we going to do about it?"

"Well, what _can_ we do?" Umi asked pointedly. 

"She's got a good point, though," Fuu chastised. "If one of us goes, a chunk of land falls out, and that can't happen. It makes me wonder about something else, though"

"What?" Hikaru sat down on a bench wearily.

"Well, according to mythology and some religions, there are four basic elements, and a fifth, more complex one. The basic ones are stone, water, fire, and wind, and the fifth is starfire. Well–"she gestured at each of them "–we each had fire, water, and wind magic. But what about the other two elements? Are there two other Magic Knights? And if so, why weren't they summoned with us?"

/Magic Knights./ A voice rang in their minds, vaguely familiar. /Magic Knights, you are needed again./

There was stunned silence in the room. Then Hikaru whispered, "Mokona?"

/Yes. Go to the others of the Seven; I must speak to all of you./

Moving in a trance, the three young women got up and walked out to the Atrium. 

Lantis, Ascot, Ferio, and Clef turned at the clack of footsteps on the marble floor. "What is it?" Clef asked, the ribbons of his staff fluttering.

"Mokona," Fuu replied in a dead tone. "He wishes to speak with us." Her eyes were glazed over, and Ferio seized her by the shoulders and peered into them, confused and concerned. Umi and Hikaru were the same.

/Relax, Prince of Sendelvon./ Yellow light shone down and a white, winged form materialized over the very center of the room. /I must speak to you all./

"What is it?" Lantis asked, his soft, low voice breaking the awed silence in the room. "We thought you would never return, Creator."

/Things have arisen that I did not foresee,/ he relied serenely. /The system of Seven is working, but it will not last. Magic Knight Hikaru, you desire a solution for the dilemma the system presents./

The three girls seemed to break out of their trances as she nodded, and Ferio protectively put an arm around Fuu's shoulders, as did Ascot for Umi and Lantis for Hikaru. 

/A new enemy has come that was not supposed to. I am the Creator; Chaos is the Destroyer. It is coming too Sendelvon, because this is where it can destroy the most. Chaos will fight, and if it wins it will destroy Earth also./

"Will we don the Mashin once more?" Umi asked.

/You cannot. They have gone to another universe, and only I may travel freely between universes. Magic Knight Fuu, you told your friends of the two missing elements. You are correct. There are two missing Magic Knights."

"What?" Hikaru gasped. "Why weren't they summoned with us?"

"Because of the elements they represented and Cephiro's condition when you were summoned. Stone and Starfire are the two most powerful elements, and if they had been taken into Cephiro with you, the land would not have been able to support them. They each ally themselves with one or two elements–water and wind support starfire, and stone is supported by fire. 

/I have the solution you desire, Magic Knight Hikaru. The two remaining Magic Knights must be summoned. They will battle the Destroyer. If the win, one will join you Seven and you will become the Eight. It will be complete, and the burden of supporting the world with the heart will be shared with them. Therefore, if all of you are unable to pray for Sendelvon, everyone else will become the supporters. That would not happen now because the Seven is not complete. /

"What if they fail?" Fuu asked softly.

Mokona shook his head sadly. /Then even I would not be able to help you. You must summon the two remaining young people from another world. / A smile played upon his mouth. /They will not be what you expect./

"What do you mean by that?" Umi asked.

Mokona smirked. "Pu."

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT PU' CRAP!" Umi yelled. "I don't care if you've got wings! I'll get Presea and then we'll have some fun! I can still throttle you, you little puff ball!"

/I cannot tell you, Magic Knight Umi,/ Mokona said, smiling affectionately at her. /You will see for yourself. And, about the two young people from another worldlike you, they must gain Escudo in the Legendary–or as you referred to it, the "Weirdo" Fountain of Eterna./

"Will they have a guide like we did?" Hikaru asked. "Or–will you be guiding them?"

/I will not be guiding them. My daughter, Rokona, will be their assistant. She, unlike me, is truly unable to communicate mind-to-mind right now. She is an infant, but she knows precisely what is going on. Think of her as me, merely unable to say any more than Pu.' /

A shaft of indigo light appeared beside Mokona, and a minute later another, smaller version of him materialized in midair. A pair of smaller, useless wings sprouted from her back and she had a slender tail than was longer than she was with a tuft of white, fluffy hair on the end. An indigo stone sparkled in the center of her forehead.

"Pu!"

A vein twitched on Umi's forehead. "I never wanted to hear that again," she growled.

/You may not tell them about what they will face in the Fountain, or what will happen when they enter a shrine. They must know only as much as you did when you first came, or they will not be able to become true Magic Knights./ He started to fade. /Summon them quickly, Seven. And yet again, they will not be what you are expecting."

He vanished as Umi muttered, "What's that supposed to mean/"

"Maybe one of them is a boy," Hikaru suggested. 

"Maybe" Fuu trailed off. "We need to call them here, you guys."

"I know." Hikaru's shoulders slumped. "I just don't want to put anyone else through what we have"

"They won't have to, remember?" Fuu hugged her around the shoulders. "There's no Pillar, so they won't have to fight that battle."

"True." She sighed as Clef looked away. "Well, let's just get this over with."

Ascot took them to the top of the palace, and they joined hands, standing in a circle. Something seemed to shift in the wind. "We Seven summon the two Magic Knights," Hikaru called, head tilted back. "By the names of Sendelvon and Mokona, we call you."

There was quiet; then a hole opened in the sky and two shapes fell in the distance. They fell for a moment, but then something grew in one's hand and she sprouted wings. The other pulled out something that glinted metallically, and wind formed a sphere around him. 

The new Magic Knights already knew magic.

"Well," Ferio said weakly. "We certainly weren't expecting that."

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Sakura

I gazed out the window. Two years–it had been two years since Syaoran had left. And I'd been stupid enough not to tell him how I felt. Now I had no clue what his feelings toward me were, too. [AN: They didn't tell each other how they felt before he left:(] I hadn't even talked to him for the past two years

"Sakura, are you thinking about that brat again?" Kero flew in my face. 

I smacked him upside the head. "He isn't a brat!"

"Get over him, Sakura," Kero snorted. "He hasn't even made the effort to write to you."

"Well, maybe his family isn't letting him," I sniffed crossly. "I think he's going to come back. He said he would. And then you'll see." The telephone rang, and I picked it up with a sigh. "Hello?"

"Hey Sakura," Tomoyo's friendly voice was slightly scratchy over the phone lines. "Do you want to go to Tokyo Tower with me? You've been pretty down lately, and I thought you might want to get out for some fresh air instead of holing up in that tiny room."

I laughed. "Your concern is appreciated, Tomoyo." About to decline, I suddenly changed my mind. The Tokyo Tower seemed awfully appealing "Yeah, I think I'll go. Just give me fifteen minutes to get ready."

"Okay, I'll pick you up. See ya." There was a click on her end of the line as she hung up. I set the receiver down and got up. _What should I wear? Maybe the blouse, and_In a few minutes, I chose my outfit–a plain white blouse with a polo collar and long, slightly puffy sleeves; a blue and green plaid sweater vest over that; a green skirt; a black choker; white knee socks; black Mary Jane's; and a black headband. It was my style–sweet schoolgirl with the choker giving it a spunky twist.

"Good, you're going out," Kero said smugly. "Like I said, you need to get over that brat."

I ignored him and went downstairs. Dad was gone, and Touya was at some job again, so I scribbled a note and waited in the hall for Tomoyo. She came soon enough, and in about half an hour we were riding the elevator up. The doors opened, and we walked out. I went straight to the window and stared out. You could see so far from hereMy heart ached painfully. I'd caught the Dream Card in this buildingwith Syaoran. Maybe if I looked hard enough, I could see Hong Kong. I swallowed hard. Sometimes, when I tried really hard, I could feel his aura in Hong Kong. He really meant a lot to me, and I missed himtwo years was two years too long to be separated, even if he didn't know how I felt. His aura was so warm and comfortingEven now, I could feel it. It was so strongI figured it was because I was thinking about him.

I started to turn away, but collided with someone. "Oh, sor–" I broke off as _something_ opened under my feet. No, _our _feet. Blackness was rushing all around me as we dropped in, and I was reminded of the time Syaoran and I'd been trapped in the elevator. 

Then I found myself in the sky over a strange, strange looking land. 

The other person was still falling. I could save them and myself too, but they'd know about my magic_Not if you use the Erase Card later and make them lose the memory. _I pulled out the Key of Star and transformed it into the wand, then used the Fly Card. "Hold on!" I yelled to the other person, although they probably couldn't hear me. "I–" My voice trailed off as the other person pulled out a sword, then used a piece of paper with it and was surrounded by a bubble of wind. _What–how–who is that? _I swooped nearer, then found to my shock that my wings were disappearing. With a shriek, I resumed falling, and the wand shrank to the Key once more. The other person's wind vanished also, and we were both dropping incredibly fast–our magic wasn't working in this world. This was not good

Ropes of air wrapped around us as the ground loomed closer, and I was slowing down

Then, with a thump, I fell to the ground. There was a thud as my companion landed a few feet away.

Of course, it wasn't exactly a gentle landing for either of us.

"Ow!" My back was aching painfully, and I was seeing stars. I sat up, shaking my head to clear it and muttering, "_That's_ gonna bruise."

"Yeah," the other person groaned. It was a guy, that much I could tell. Or guys–there were two of everything. I blinked, and my surroundings fell into place. I got a better look at him and thought I was being caught up in some strange dream "Syaoran?" I asked, stunned. 

Then four _things _landed in the meadow, two people in each except for the last. Something white and round hopped out of one and sprang over to me. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. I gulped, positive I was dreaming. My ankle twinged painfully, and I could smell a strange but pleasant scent that wafted up from the furry moss I was sitting on. This was no dream. 

That was when I fainted.

When I woke up, I found myself staring at a pair of scrunched-up eyes and a dark blue, round gem in the middle of a white face. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

I sat up, white-faced, and it tumbled off, falling to the sheets. "My GOD," I yelled, my heart still pounding. "What the hell IS that thing?!"

"That would be Rokona," a female voice said above me. I looked up to see a girl with bright, ruby-red eyes and untidy crimson hair. "I'm Hikaru Shido."

"I'm Umi," a tall, blue-haired girl added, off to the side.

"And I'm Fuu." The blonde handed me a cup of steaming liquid. "Drink that; it'll make you feel more human."

I obeyed, asking between sips, "I'm Sakura. Where am I?"

The girls exchanged glances. "Well, that's a very good question," Umi said slowly. "Let's just say you aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto."

"What's that supposed to mean? And where's Syaoran?"

"The boy? He's waiting with the rest of the guys." Fuu grinned. "We wouldn't let them in here. He wanted to see you, but Umi"

"I–er–insisted that they wait outside," she finished blandly. 

"In other words, she went into Umi, Hell-Bitch' mode. Your friend's pretty stubborn, but not even he can match her when she gets that way." Fuu gave her a rueful look. "You really do need to work on your temper. Your blood pressure just shoots up when you get yourself that worked up."

"Well, if he had just gone along with the others, there wouldn't have been a problem, now would there?"

"ANYWAY," Hikaru said pointedly, "you've been summoned here. By us. You are now Magic Knight Sakura. You're going to save this world, and yours."

"Magic _what?_" I stared confusedly around at the other three girls. "What do you mean, summoned? And where the hell am I?" 

"Pu!" 

"And what is _that?"_

"That's another good question," Fuu said thoughtfully. "We're trying to figure that out ourselves. And summoned, as in we called you here. By magic. You're destined to become a Magic Knight."

"Whoah, whoah, _whoah._" I shook my head. "You don't get it. I've already done all the magic stuff and heard all the destiny crap I want to hear. For Pete's sake, I live with a magical guardian, and my older brother's best friend is another of my guardians! I'm done with magic."

"Not according to us, you aren't. And everybody in this whole world–and on Earth–is counting on you. We're from Earth too, just so you know. Of course, you, that boy, and us are the only ones who are."

"What?_ Where am I?"_

After a pause and a "Pu!" Fuu said slowly, "Another world."

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Ah, the trauma of finding yourself in another world, the drama of reunion, the fury caused by a small creature named RokonaWhat will happen to our heroes next? Will Sakura tell Syaoran how she feels? Will Syaoran let the girls stay locked up in the room forever? And, most important of all, who will win if Umi and Syaoran match wills? How much will he put up with? All this and more in the next chapter! Until then, peace, luv, and. Adiosity!


	2. I'm a Magic WHAT?!

Stone and Starfire

Stone and Starfire

Chapter One: I'm a Magic WHAT?!

Screw the litany; let's just get the chapter going. I don't own anything. Don't sue me.

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Syaoran

I waited impatiently outside the door as the minutes ticked past, each one making me more fidgety. And who could blame me? I hadn't seen Sakura–or even talked to her–for two years, and I wanted to explain–or at least, see if she was as pissed as hell at me for not writing to her. I wouldn't be surprised if she was. _Damn it, I still don't see what was so wrong about trying to communicate with the Card Mistress, of all people. _I had tried to convince the Elders that she wouldn't manage to steal all of the Clan secrets by talking to me, either by telephone or via snail mail, but they'd remained as thick-skulled and hard-headed as ever and I hadn't been able to do a single thing.

"Hey, look on the bright side," Ferio said ruefully, leaning against one side of the doorframe; he was referring to my foiled attempt to actually talk to Sakura a few minutes ago. I'd already claimed the other side of the door and hadn't budged since the three women had taken Sakura into that room.

"And what would that be?" I asked sarcastically. "That Umi didn't bite my legs off?"

"Actually, yes." He stared straight ahead.

"Hey, criticize your own girlfriend, not mine," Ascot protested.

"Don't have one," I said simply. In the few short hours I'd known the other guys, we'd all found something in common: we'd all had to deal with a girl in Hell-bitch mode. [AN: Some of the guys in my school would say I'm permanently in that mode. Of course, I don't help that assumption by kicking them in the shins when they won't leave me alone. ^_^] Hell-bitch mode meant that when you were arguing with them, it usually induced sudden, violent reactions and ended with a nice, large bruise somewhere from where they'd kicked you. They'd had to deal with Umi in her mood; I'd had Mei Ling to handle too.

Of course, I wasn't too happy about being forced to back down by a girl who hadn't even known me for an hour. Admittedly, she was taller than me–although that shouldn't have been physically possible; I'd grown a lot in two years–and when she had given me that glare I wondered where she was hiding the testosterone patch, but still. The guys had assured me they'd gone through the exact same thing, so it was a little less humiliating.

"You don't have a girlfriend?" Eagle asked. "What about the girl?"

"Sakura?" I jerked my head at the door, and he nodded. I blushed. "We'refriends. Besides, I haven't talked to her for two years and she doesn't know why."

"Well, what's your excuse? Why _haven't _you talked to her for two years?" Lafarga asked.

"Long story," I sighed. "When we were both ten, she let out a set of Cards that had magical properties and they escaped into our world."

"Magic in _your _world?" Clef asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, but our kinds don't work here," I said. "You saw that this morning. Anyway, the Cards were called Clow Cards after their creator, Clow Reed, and I'm a direct descendant of his. I got sent from my home in Hong Kong to either get the Cards or help her out, and I ended up working with her. When all the Cards were returned, she passed the test and became the Card Mistress. I almost had to go back to Hong Kong, but then something started attacking her again and the Elders had me stay. Turned out that Clow Reed had split himself into two reincarnations and one of them was attacking her to get her to make the cards stronger. It's hard to explain. Anyway, the other reincarnation ended up being her father, and the one who was fighting Sakura was carrying too much magic for half a reincarnation, so he gave Sakura's father half and then went away."

"Butwouldn't that technically make Sakura your–your great-great-great-great grandmother or something?" Zazu asked. "If she's the daughter of your ancestor's reincarnation?"

I scowled. The thought that I was in love with my great-great-great grandmother was just sick, twisted, and wrong. "No, it doesn't. There's a difference between a reincarnation and the original person, you know. Anyway, when the Clan found out there were no more problems, they called me home, and I had to go. When I got there, they wouldn't let me write to Sakura at all, and at that point, we'd worked together for three years. Mother only just managed to get me out by saying she was sending me to ensure the Card Mistress wasn't running into trouble, and it took more negotiating on her part than I want to think about." I sighed. "And Mei Ling came with me." Seeing their blank looks, I explained, "She was my fiancée. It's an arranged marriage, trust me. When she's mad, she can be worse than Umi."

"Is that even possible?" Ferio asked in an awed voice.

"You think Umi is bad? When she first came to Tomoeda, Sakura and I had fallen in a river after catching a Card, and I took her back to get some dry clothes, and Wei–my guardian–gave her a shirt Mei Ling had given me. Mei Ling just about went ballistic when she walked into my apartment and saw her wearing it."

"Ouch." Geo winced appreciatively.

"It gets better," I sighed. "She was in our class, and our teacher was introducing her to us. My seat was behind Sakura, and when she turned to ask me something Mei Ling ran over and shoved her face in Sakura's, and told her in no uncertain terms that she was going to back off, and now. She gets worse when she's really, really, REALLY pissed. There was a Card loose that day, and it was the Card of fighting. She tried to get to it before either Sakura and I could, even though she's got no magic, and when she met Sakura she said I didn't need her help because I could handle it all on my own. Of course, the problem with that is that Sakura's the one with the wand, so I _couldn't _do it on my own, or with Mei Ling's help either. Then I had to chase Mei Ling down because she'd taken my locating instrument. I was in the middle of explaining exactly why she shouldn't be out there when the Card popped up and sent me flying. _Then _Mei Ling got pissed, and she starting kicking the Card's ass. And that's only what she did to the card. Sakura was a whole different matter–Mei Ling seemed convinced that if she left us alone for one second, when she came back we'd be making out, which was _not _the case."

"Although I think you wish it was," Zazu said shrewdly. I blushed, and he grinned. "I knew it, someone's got a crush."

"You didn't know already?" Ascot asked as my face steadily got redder and redder. "Honestly, the boy wouldn't let anyone near her at first. Umi had to pull Hell-bitch on him."

"Really? Don't tell that to Caldina, or she'll start screaming about how KAWAII!' it is," Lantis said with grim good humor. "And we all know how much we want to avoid that."

"Lay off, you guys," Eagle chastised. "After all, he's engaged to a permanent-PMS version of Umi."

"Well, not any more," I conceded. "The Elders decided it should be broken off, because it wouldn't be fitting for me to have a wife who had no magic. They didn't do it for any other reason–just that she had no magic."

Everybody cringed at the harshness of that statement. "That just gives me the good ol' warm fuzzies," Ferio said sarcastically. "No offense, but your Elders really need to get their priorities in order. And yours too, if they're going to be running your life for you."

"How do you stand it?" Geo asked wonderingly. "I'd go crazy in your place."

"You get used to it after awhile." I shrugged. "And they've stopped trying to control everything for me ever since I started giving them hell over every detail."

"Good for you." Clef's gaze was unnerving. "People aren't meant to be controlled. From what I've heard about Earth, the people there still have yet to realize that."

I nodded wearily. He'd explained–somewhat–what we were doing here while we were waiting. All I knew then was that we were summoned to help the country somehow, and we'd find out more soon.

"Excuse me." Two women in strange-looking clothing walked up to the door and one knocked firmly on it. "Open up, you guys. It's Presea and Caldina." It opened and they calmly walked inside as I straightened, protesting. 

"Why can't we come in?" I demanded. 

"BECAUSE I SAID SO!" Umi bellowed as she shoved her head out the door, her eyes snapping. I gulped and backed away. "NOW BACK OFF! PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE AND IT'S ONE I DON'T HAVE!" The door slammed shut, the bang carrying a "so THERE!" air.

"Well, at least I tried," I muttered, resuming my position at the side of the frame.

"The kid's got guts," Geo said in approval. "Zazu just screamed and ran away when she gave him that look, and I don't think _any _of us tried to argue with her after encountering the Hell-bitch."

"Well, there's a difference between guts and stupidity," Ferio said pointedly. "But I gotta agree with you. That took courage."

"Hey!" Zazu straightened. "I've got an idea!" He walked up to the door and knocked firmly on it, saying in a high-pitched falsetto, "It's Tarta!"

There was a pause, and then the door was flung open. "KNOCK IT OFF!" Umi yelled, a vein pulsing in her forehead. "I'M NOT IN THE MOOD FOR ANY MORE CRAP FROM YOU ASSHOLES!" There was a resounding boom as the door crashed shut.

"That was effective," Lantis said blandly. "You can come down now, Zazu."

"No thanks," he said nervously from the top of the column he was clinging to. "I think I'll stay up here for a little while. Like until she dies."

"As I said, there's a difference between courage and stupidity," Ferio said dryly. "_That_ was just sheer stupidity."

"No comment." Ascot looked away innocently. 

I was about to reply when the door opened and a surly-looking Umi growled, "You can come in now."

I walked in, trailed by the rest of the guys. Sakura was sitting up, her eyes standing out against the paleness of her face. She looked as though you could hold her up to the light and sunshine would stream through her like a piece of transparent blown glass.

Clef came forward and seemed to examine her as I glowered and she watched nervously. Finally, he stepped back and said tonelessly, "So this is the Starfire Knight."

"Yep!"

"That's her!"

"Uh huh!" Umi, Fuu, and Hikaru all nodded in assent at the same time as Sakura and I both yelled, "WHAT?!"

It took a little while for the whole situation to be explained to Sakura and I, especially after Sakura passed out again. To tell the truth, I didn't blame her; hearing that not only were we legendary figures and destined to raise some kind of Spirit fighting machine, but we couldn't go back until we'd saved Sendelvon and fulfilled our purpose, was more than somewhat fazing. 

"So basically, it, like, sucks for you!" Caldina said brightly.

"Caldina!" Presea scolded. 

"Well, it wasn't exactly fun for us either," Hikaru admitted.

"But they've got more info than we did, so it might be a little easier." Fuu's eyes, so similar to Sakura's, took on a distant look. "And they won't have to kill the Pillar."

"True."

"But. why can't we go back?" Sakura asked. 

"Well, we brought you here, but I'm not sure we can send you back," Fuu said smoothly. "When we came, we didn't get sent back until we'd defeated Zagato."

Hikaru gave her friend a look, and I knew something was up but chose not to say anything. "You're going to need weapons," she said blandly. "And I hope you can both use them. No magic in the Forest of Silence."

"The Forest of _what?"_ I asked confusedly. "And our magic doesn't work here, so that isn't even an option."

"Actually, it does," Clef corrected. "Only it's not the magic you're thinking of. And it's the Forest of Silence; you need to go through it to get to the Legendary Fountain of Eterna."

"The _Weirdo _Fountain," Umi muttered.

"Huh?" Sakura asked confusedly.

"You get Escudo there," Presea said, ignoring Umi's comment. "Escudo is a mineral that can be turned into weapons that evolve."

"Ev–what?!" It was like they were speaking a different language. 

"They change shape as your soul matures," Ferio explained. "Speaking of evolution, they're going to need evolving armor too, Clef."

"Armor?!" I scowled. If there was one thing I couldn't stand, it was armor.

"Yep!" Caldina grinned. "It evolves like the Escudo swords."

"This is too much..." Sakura said dazedly, looking like she had a headache. I knew I certainly had one.

"Don't worry, it's different from armor as we think of it on Earth," Umi said reassuringly. "For one thing, it's light and flexible."

"But if they're going to have armor, then they'll need to look like Sendelvonians, or the people they meet will know something's up."

"What's the problem with that?" I asked.

The others exchanged glances. "You want to explain, Hikaru?" Umi said.

"Sure." Her eyes were cloudy. "In Sendelvon, what's in your heart becomes real. When we first came here, we had to battle demons and monsters that were actually projections of fear. Even a toddler's fear can produce a fifty-foot creature that thinks you're lunch, and if the people know something's wrong, then they'll start up with the fear-monsters again. Of course, if you really do want to get some fighting practice, then we can just give you the armor and a primary weapon and drop you outside without giving you some other clothes."

"What's wrong with what we're wearing?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing, except that nobody in this world has seen garments like that. Even we–" Umi gestured at herself and the other girls "–wear Sendelvon clothes when we're here."

"Don't people miss you? Do they know we're gone?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

"No, they really don't. We're all in college, and our roommates don't notice when we're gone for a day or two."

"Oh."

"Anyway, we've gotta get you dressed like Sendelvonians, or else you'll stir up trouble when you go. The people will know you're from another world, and with the armor they'll know you're Magic Knights. They'll wonder what could be so wrong that we had to summon two more, and the whole thing that we're _trying _to avoid will happen. So go on, guys, get him taken care of. We'll deal with Sakura."

"But–" I protested. "But–"

"Oh, don't be a wuss." Geo grabbed my elbow and started to drag me away. "I'll bet some of Ferio's stuff will fit you."

"Hey! Why _my _stuff?" Ferio demanded.

"Because you're the only Sendelvonian guy who's anywhere near his height," Geo said grimly. "And nobody's gonna mess with a guy who looks like nobility and carries a sword."

I shot a last, helpless look over my shoulder, and Sakura shrugged apologetically as the door shut. I sighed and sullenly went with the rest of the guys, frustrated. We'd been here for six hours and I still hadn't gotten a chance to talk to her yet. That really, really was pissing me off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

I watched, awed, as the guys left. "Do _all _the men here have shoulders that wide?"

"Actually, it's just the clothes," Presea said, assured. "Ferio's pretty scrawny when he loses the shoulder guards, and it's the same with most of the guys." 

"Ferio isn't _scrawny,_" Fuu said defensively. "He just doesn't have a tree trunk for a collarbone, unlike some people that some other people have a crush on." She coughed, and it sounded oddly like "Geo!"

"Shut up!" Presea scowled. "At least _he _can fly a GTO!"

"But can he swing a sword as big as he is?"

"That doesn't matter!"

"Sure it does. See, Ferio's better!"

"No, Geo is!"

"Ferio!"

"Geo!"

"Ferio!"

"Geo!"

"Ferio!"

"Geo!"

"Ferio!"

"Geo!"

"Uh-uh!"

"Uh huh!"

"Uh-uh!"

"Uh huh!"

"Uh-uh!"

"Uh huh!"

"Uh-uh!"

"SHUT UP!" Umi yelled. "We don't want to hear about who's making your hormones fly!"

Hikaru blinked. "But Umi, I thought the Hell-bitch was only for the guys."

"Yeah, well they're acting like guys right now," she growled.

"Hey!"

"That's _mean!"_

"Can we get back to the whole Magic Knight-starfire-armor-Escudo-evolving stuff-thing?" I asked tentatively, expressively waving my hands around. "Cuz I really don't want to end up dead, or being killed by some monster a toddler made."

"Like, yeah." Caldina crossed her arms and glared at all three bickering women. "It's easy for you to argue when _you _aren't the ones who're gonna have to go to the Fountain."

"What's there?" I asked.

The women exchanged glances. "We aren't supposed to say," Fuu said uneasily. "If you know yourself and have faith in the people you love, you won't have trouble gaining the Escudo."

"But it won't be easy," Umi said grimly. 

"Do we get to dress her up now?" Caldina asked excitedly after a tense pause.

"Dress me up?" I looked around, nervous, and tried to see where the nearest exit was. 

"You've gotta look like a Sendelvonian," Hikaru reminded me. "Now, get out of bed and help us, or you'll end up wearing what Presea chooses. Trust me, she isn't exactly a fashion guru."

"Hey!"

I got up, my strength renewed, and we went over to the closet. "Some of my old stuff oughta fit you," Fuu said. "This is my room." She opened the closet and I blinked in surprise. Everything looked almost unwearable.

In a minute, they'd gotten me into a sleeveless, mid-thigh-length tunic that had a turtleneck collar. I wore a loose shift of cloth so fine it was as transparent as glass underneath it, and the sleeves came out, going to my elbow. The very edge of the shift peeked out from the tunic, and a wide sash cinched them around my waist. A pair of gloves that almost went to my shoulders and had openings for the fingers covered my arms, and loose leggings covered my legs to mid-thigh. 

"Perfect!" Umi said with satisfaction as I came out of the side room that I'd changed in. "You look like Sendelvonian nobility!"

"That's good and bad," Fuu said thoughtfully. "You might have problems with bandits, but nobody will refuse you lodging."

"Bandits?" Hikaru frowned. "I thought we wiped them all out."

"You know they come back anyway," Umi said ruefully. "We should take care of that as soon as this whole business is done."  
" Um..." I paused, not quite sure how to frame my question. "You said I have starfire magic here"

"And?" Presea prompted.

"Andwell, what kind of spells can I use?" I asked.

"Hmmm" Fuu rubbed her chin. "Clef would know. In fact, if I'm not mistaken I think he knew there were two remaining Magic Knights; he just didn't know they had to come here to make it complete."

"That would make sense," Umi said slowly.

"Like, totally." Caldina frowned. "But why didn't he tell us?"

We all thought about that for a minute, and it was Hikaru who came up with the most probable answer.

"Wellmaybe because he wanted to spare two more young people from the pain of being Magic Knights." We all looked at her, surprised, and she continued. "And maybe because he thought we didn't need them or need to know about them. After all, the Pillar system is gone, so why would we need Magic Knights?"

"That's gotta be it." Umi shrugged. "Or at least, awfully close to it. We can ask him in a little while, anyway."

"Yeah. We've got to get you the evolving armor." Presea paused, staring at me. "And weapons. Do you know how to use a sword?"

"Not really," I said honestly. "I'm a people person."

"HmmmI'm thinking a glaive, then, if you're used to using a wand."

"A glaive? What's that?" I asked, tugging at the tunic.

"You'll see." She opened the door. "Ladies?"

We walked out. I hid behind Umi, shy around the men. After all, I had no idea what exactly I looked like in the new outfit. Then I caught sight of Syaoran and couldn't help but giggle at the look on his face, even though he looked really hot in the new clothes.

"Aw, what's wrong?" I asked lightly.

His scowl deepened. "I don't like wearing a dress–"

"It's called a _tunic,_" Ascot corrected sternly.

"I don't like wide sleeves," he continued, ignoring him, "and I _really _don't like looking like an idiot."

"Oh, now it isn't that bad," I said reassuringly. "You look like Ferio!"

"My point exactly."

"Oh, now THATwas uncalled for!" Ferio looked like an offended cat. "Honestly, if you want to get Sakura and you both killed, you can just take your own clothes back and get your ass kicked by the first demon you cause."

"And if you look as important as the prince of Sendelvon, people aren't going to get in your way, you little fool." Umi glared at Syaoran.

"Umi" Fuu rubbed her head wearily. "Will everybody just stop fighting for a few minutes? There's bigger issues here than current fashion."

"Pu!" Rokona nodded her head in agreement, bouncing onto my shoulder. It had become her favorite perch, and now that she wasn't popping in my face every ten seconds, I thought she was kind of cute.

"You heard the puffball," I said, nodding at the creature currently clambering onto the top of my head.

"Well, let's get them the armor first," Presea suggested. Clef nodded, and we followed him down the hall. After a short walk, I found myself in a large, airy room.

"Now, hold still," Clef said firmly. "This is going to be interesting."

__

What's that supposed to mean?

A bright light shone from his staff, and _something_ exploded from the air, wrapping around me. In a moment, it was all settled, and I opened eyes that had been tightly clenched shut a moment before. The armor seemed kind of plain, but it was so flexibleWhy was there only one shoulder pad? I frowned and realized I was wearing boots too. "Huh" I mused. Then a bright light shone and our armors morphed as I yelped in shock.

There was stunned silence in the room. But then Umi fixed that.

"Okay, their armors just evolved," she said in a high-pitched, strangled voice; running a hand through her hair and making it stand straight up at intervals. "And Sakura's looks different his." There was tense quiet, like the calm before a storm. And then it was broken. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

"That's a very good question," Ferio said thoughtfully.

"Maybe they're different because they're the Stone and Starfire Knights," Hikaru suggested. Everyone looked at her, and she shrugged. "I mean, Mokona said they're the most powerful, so why shouldn't the armor react differently? And I'd be willing to bet that it evolved because you guys have pretty advanced souls already."

"Of course," Clef said slowly. "That makes perfect sense."

"How do you just get these things, Hikaru?" Fuu asked wonderingly. "I'm starting to think you're a psychic."

"You never know," she laughed. "Maybe it's just a gift."

There was a pause, and then Clef said, "It would be best to teach them a spell before they leave."

"Leave?!" I yelped anxiously. 

"Don't worry, we aren't going to throw you to the wolves yet," Ascot said reassuringly. "But you've gotta go to Eterna and get the Escudo, then come back here and get it made into weapons, and then after that you've got to find the Shrines for your Spirits and raise them. Of course, you may not be ready for your Spirit."

"What?" Syaoran asked.

He shrugged. "You'll see when you get there."

"Anyway, you'll spend the night here," Fuu said firmly. "And then tomorrow you can set out."

"The sooner you get this done, the sooner you can go home," Hikaru softly added.

"So, let's start with the Starfire Knight." Clef turned and started walking down another hall. "Follow me. You're going to learn your first spell."

"What is it?" I asked, jogging to catch up with him. 

"It's an attack," he said blandly. "You'll see when you get there."

"I'm hearing that a lot lately," I said under my breath.

Clef stopped and faced me. "Of course. You can't know too much."

"What do you mean?"

"If you had known Yukito was really Yue, would you have trusted and befriended him?" At my stunned silence, he continued. "Would you have learned how to fight even your friends when you had to? If you had known Eriol Hiiragisawa was half the reincarnation of Clow Reed, would you have treated him as another normal student? What about your father? Would you have grown as much as you did if you had known at all from the start?"

"No," I said, surprised. "I wouldn't."

"Umi, Fuu, and Hikaru all learned many lessons along their road to becoming true Magic Knights," he said, resuming his walk once more. "Those lessons strengthened their souls, and made it possible for their swords to evolve so that they could summon their Spirits. If they had known everything that was ahead of them from the beginning, they would not have grown the way they have. When they faced Zagato, they would have not been strong enough to defeat him,"

"Soby not knowing what's coming, and dealing with it as it comes, our souls will improve? And we'll be able to defeat Chaos?" I asked slowly. 

"Precisely," he said in approval. "Here we are."

We stepped inside a room, and I looked around. It was empty for the most part and walled with a shiny metallic material. 

"Your first spell is an attack. Now, Umi and the others were able to use their magic on the first try, but you may have difficulty. Using magic in our world is different from using it in your world. The strength of your heart and your belief is power for your magic, and without it your spells will fail. Power comes from the heart."

"I see," I mused. "So what do I do?"

"Find the power inside you," he answered tonelessly. "It will come to you from there."

__

Inside? I reached deep down, but found nothing. No tingle, no spark, no nothing. "I–I can't find anything" I stammered, ashamed.

"Relax," he advised. "It'll come to you."

I tried again, but found only emptiness.

Then shrieks came from the room where everybody was, followed by yells of alarm and howls.

I gasped and took off down the hall, Clef on my heels. There were more important things right then than me learning magic.

When I got there, to my horror I saw a giant demon scrambling after Fuu, who was cornered by it. It took a swipe at her, but Ferio slashed at it and it backed away, snarling. Its tiny eyes searched for another prey, then landed on–Syaoran. Drops of saliva splattered on the ground as it advanced towards him, its teeth bared. For a moment, I thought he'd be fine because he knew how to use a sword, and he always had his with him.

Then I remembered the sword was magic.

From our world.

It didn't work here.

Fear rushed through me, and silvery-white filled my vision. Words rang in my mind, and I threw my arms in front of me, palms at a ninety-degree angle to my wrists. "Shooting Starfire!"

Silver balls of flame rushed out of nowhere, zeroing in on the beast. There was an explosion and a flash of light, and when the smoke had cleared, all that was left of it was a scorch mark on the floor.

There was stunned silence in the room. It was broken by Caldina.

"Like, cool!"

After that little episode, we determined that Chaos had sent the demon and moved on. Syaoran got his magic right away, to my chagrin, but then I forgot about it when went on to the armory—Presea's domain. After some debate, she gave Syaoran a sword and me a glaive. It was a strange-looking weapon—like a spear, but the blade was longer. No matter what exactly it looked like, however, I found I could use it, and well. 

"That's the beauty of Escudine weapons," Presea said with satisfaction. "It's a mineral _like _Escudo, but different, and it helps the wielder learn to use their weapon and _fast._ And it's what your armor's made of."

I'd forgotten about the armor. It was light and flexible enough that it felt like I wasn't wearing anything bulkier than a sweater; despite the fact that _nothing_, and I mean _nothing_ could get through it. Whatever it was, I liked it. Of course, then I found out what exactly the jewel on the back of my left glove was for.

"OMIGOD!" I yelped as the glaive was sucked into the slivery gem. "But—but—what the hell just happened?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Syaoran said dryly. He hadn't yelled like I had, but surprise was clearly written on his face.

"Oh, that." Umi shrugged. "The weapon just goes back in there if you aren't using it. You can just pull it back out again whenever you want."

"But—but—_glove,_ and—and jewel thing, and—glaive, and—" I stammered weakly.

"I know, it's a bit of a shock," Hikaru said sympathetically. "You'll get used to it."

"I think I'm going to have to," I muttered.

My sheets rustled as I rolled over in bed, still awake. Despite the fact that it was somewhere around 11:30 at night, I wasn't the least bit tired and I had no clue why. It had been a long day; I should have fallen asleep the minute I got in bed.

But I hadn't. 

I stared out of the window overhead, numb. It was really sinking in that we were stuck heretogether. So much was going through my mind, and I wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad.

First on my mind was Syaoran. Why hadn't he called, or written? I was happy to be with him again, even if he didn't know how I felt. More than anything, I wanted to talk to him, but the entire day had been taken up with preparations–for a journey I wasn't all that willing to go on. Of course, neither of us had much of an option on that.

That was something else that was bothering me. I didn't like being forced into this. In other words, if they had asked us to come help them, I would have agreed. But being told that I _had _to do it grated on my nerves.

I decided to think about that for a while. Had Fuu and Umi and Hikaru had the same feelings about this as I was having? They had gone and done it, but who had told them too? Had they done it for the land, like Syaoran and I were going to?

Why were we chosen to do this? Why not someone else? None of the others had had magical powers before they came here, so why did we? Was that why we'd been chosen? But then, why not someone like Eriol? Or another of the Clan members? Why was it us?

There was a soft knock on the door. "Come in, I'm awake," I called quietly.

The door creaked open, and Fuu let herself in as I sat up. "Sakura, I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

She sat down on my bed. "When we first came to Cephiro, Umi and I were pretty scared about being taken from our lives and thrown into the situation. I was angry about being told that I _had _to do what Clef told us, and I thought you might be feeling the same way."

"I am," I admitted. "I mean, I'm going to do it, but"

"But you're wondering why it was you chosen and not someone else." She smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, I went through exactly the same thing. But then, you've got to look at it another way. You're thinking of this as a situation that you were dragged into, that you've got no way out."

"But I don't," I said pointedly. "Have a way out, that is."

"Actually, you do." She looked away. "Like I said, I know what's going through your minds, and this morning, if I'd told you that you could go home, you would have just gone, wouldn't you? No, don't answer. But you've seen the problems. You've heard what's wrong. Umi and I didn't take this seriously; we kept acting like it was a game, or a weird dream we were all having. Then we had to kill Princess Emeraude, and it hit us hard. This is real. This room–" she rubbed a hand over the wall "–is real. It's all real. And we need help. Butyou can go home if you want, Sakura."

I sat there, stunned. Go home? I could go home instead of having to go through a bloody, dangerous battle where I might not survive?

Then it started to sink in. Syaoran and I were truly this world's last hope. It wasn't an issue of why we were chosen, or when we would get out of here. It was an issue of what we were going to do here and how well we were going to do it. Putting lives in risk because I wanted to go home wasn't right.

"I won't," I found myself saying. "I'm going to do what I have to do."

Fuu smiled. "That's what I thought you'd say. It's going to be hard, but I know you can do it." She stood up, going to the door. "I'll let you sleep now. Mokona knows you need it."

"Pu!" Rokona bounced into the room, then hopped on the bed. "Pu! Pu!"

"That fluff ball actually makes a decent teddy bear," she added wryly. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," I called. The door clicked shut as I leaned back on the pillows once more. I was wide awake now, and it didn't seem like I'd be falling asleep any time soon. With a sigh, I got up. The shirt I wore went down to my knees, and the sleeves were brushing my elbows, but it wasn't the kind of thing I wanted to wear anywhere but my room. I pulled on a heavier tunic over it and tied a sash around my middle, then opened the door.

"Pu!" Rokona shot out and bounded down the hall.

I ran after her. _This isn't what I wanted to do, _I thought, irate. _I wanted a nice, slow walk, not a run through the halls after some weird thing that looks like an albino Pikachu._

She rounded a corner, and I followed her. The hall opened into a giant greenhouse. A fresh, green scent flooded my nose as I stopped and just stared around me in amazement. Despite the fact that it was late at night, the airy structure was well-lit and sunny. Huge plants gently waved their leaves overhead, exotic flowers filling the air with perfume.

"Pu!" A blotch of white stood out from the greens, and I resumed my chase. 

"Rokona!" I yelled. "Rokona, come back!" She shot around a bend. "Rokooooooo–" I broke off my exasperated moan when I came around the bend myself and found I wasn't alone. She'd jumped into the arms of someone sitting on the edge of a fountain. I stopped short. "Syaoran?"

"Sakura?" He asked at the same time. 

I laughed nervously. "You couldn't sleep either?"

"Nope." There was an awkward pause, and we both avoided eachother's eyes. "Um" he began.

"What is it?"

"I–I wanted to write to you, or call you, or something" he stammered. "But they wouldn't let me." He laughed shortly. "The Elders were convinced that you'd somehow manage to steal every secret and scrap of power the Clan had through words on a page, and nobody could get them to change their minds."

I was taken aback. He'd _wanted _to talk to me? Could he actually like me? _That's ridiculous, _I decided. "O-o-oh," I stuttered. "Th-that m-makes sense." There was another awkward pause. "II missed you," I said softly. 

He looked up, and our eyes met for a brief instant before I averted mine, blushing slightly. He looked like he was trying to think of what to say. _And what would that be? _I thought sarcastically. _You're the sunshine of my existence'? I worship the ground you walk on'? Ha, I wish_

"I--I missed you too" he said awkwardly a moment later. "What have you been doing for the last two years?"

"Absolutely nothing," I said frankly. "Trying not to piss off Yue and smacking Kero upside the head when he won't stop bothering me. That's about it. You?"

He shook his head ruefully. "Don't get me started. The leader of the Clan' this and the leader of the Clan' that. And my engagement with Mei Ling got broken off."

"Oh." I sat down on another fountain nearby. "D-d you m-mind? About not having to marry her?"

"Not really," he said numbly. "I never really wanted to marry her, anyway. It was just already arranged, and there wasn't really anything I could do about it. Now I don't know who I'm marrying, and I'm not sure if it's any better."

"I-I'm sorry," I stuttered. "That really stinks."

"It's okay." He stared at the surface of the water , brooding. "I'll just have to get used to it."

__

I wouldn't mind marrying you I caught myself before I said that out loud. "Sowhat do you think about all this?"

He looked off into the distance, a lock of hair falling over his forehead. He was still handsome enough to cause cat fights at our school. "Like Caldina said, it sucks for us, but we don't really have a choice. Besides, the more time I spend here, the more time I have before the Clan hauls my ass back."

I blinked. When he'd first came, he'd been very defensive about his family. Now, though, it seemed that all he wanted from them was out. "Why--why can't you stay?"

"Same reason they're choosing a wife for me," he said semi-bitterly. "The leader of the Clan deal."

"Oh." I swallowed a lump in my throat at those words. '_They're choosing a wife for me' _All the silly--but fun nevertheless--daydreams I'd had about what it would be like if he ever came back and we dated flew out the window. _It's gotta be harder on him than it is on me, though, _my conscience chastised. _I mean, you didn't even have a relationship, so he doesn't know, and_ you _aren't the one getting married to a stranger._ It still hurt, nonetheless "I think I'm going to go back to bed," I said, feeling a lot more old and tired than I hoped I looked.

He sighed wearily. "Good idea." We went our separate ways. As soon as I was back in bed, Rokona snoring lightly on the pillow next to me, a tear silently rolled down my cheek. _Well, there goes thatI guess we just weren't meant to be together_

But why does it feel so right when we are?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran

Life was not fair. That was certain.

After all, if it was fair, I'd be with Sakura. If it was fair, Mei Ling and I would have never been engaged in the first place. If it was fair, I wouldn't be blood-bound to marry whoever the hell the Elders wanted me to marry.

But it wasn't. And, like Caldina had said, it sucked for me. I was stuck with the kind of life that I'd spent most of the past two years trying to get out of. 

I sighed heavily, looking out the window. _If life were fair, I wouldn't have to wear a dress, either._ _But it isn't._

Admittedly, they were a lot easier to move around in than what the Clan had me wear most if the time. But a _dress?_

Ascot had said it was a tunic. I had said that was just a fancy name for a dress. And I had refused to wear any of the hats they'd shoved in my face. If Ferio, Clef, Lafarga, and Lantis could go bareheaded, then by the gods I was going to go bareheaded too and there was nothing that would persuade me otherwise. 

"Hey, kid. Umi's ready to see you guys off." Geo jerked a thumb at the hallway behind me. "I wouldn't recommend making her wait. Unless you're _that_ desperate to get out of here that you don't care how. It'll be with wings and a halo that way, trust me. If you're lucky, they might throw in a nice harp."

"I think I'll pass," I said dryly, my cloak swinging behind me as I followed him down the hall. There was no sense in trying to get killed, especially by Umi, because then there was a guarantee it would be slow and painful.

Sakura was waiting at bottom of the steps with the rest of the girls, looking somewhat impatient. 

"And men always complain about how _we_ take too much time," Fuu said wryly. 

"It's a crazy world out there," Ferio said with a shrug. 

Presea shot a glare at him, then said, "All we can do is give you a bag of money and some food. None of the edible stuff here will last very long, so you're going to have to buy fresh food often unless both of you are anorexics, which I sincerely doubt."

"As far as I know, no," Sakura said cheerfully. "Unless you aren't telling me everything, Syaoran."

Actually, I _wasn't_ telling her everything, but what I wasn't letting her know had nothing to do with eating disorders "Nope, no anorexics here."

"Just checking." She turned back to Presea. "Any other words of wisdom before we go and get ourselves killed?"

"Yeah," Fuu said quickly. "First of all, don't believe everything you see or hear. Second, spend the nights you're in a town in hotels that are clean and well-lit, or you'll regret it. Third, Rokona will get you through the Forest of Silence, but it's grown since we had to go through it. It'll take you a couple of days to get through at the minimum, and stay on the path she gives you. _Don't_ go on the road; there's bandits in the Forest and they aren't nice."

"Even if you get in an argument, don't just go off on your own," Hikaru added warningly. "Especially you, Sakura. We're doing the best we can to clean this land up, but it's far from perfect. You'd be surprised how fast you could get snapped up--and sold. They've got a nasty slave trade on the black market, and both of you could get a high price."

"Don't spread around word that you're Magic Knights," Umi advised. "The less people who know, the better." She looked around. "Anything you want to add, guys?" 

Everyone shook their heads, and Fuu said, "Good luck, then! Be careful!" They went back inside, and Syaoran and I exchanged 'Now what?' looks.

"Pu!" Indigo light flared on Rokona's forehead, and _something_ fell out of the sky. I say something because there isn't really a name for it. It looked like a giant bowl with wings, but I wasn't really sure.

"Pu! Pu! Pu!"

"She wants us to get in," Sakura said brightly.

"You can understand her?" I asked, bewildered.

"Sometimes." She shrugged and hopped inside, extending a hand to me. "Come on."

I took it and jumped inside, then realized I was holding _Sakura's_ hand and dropped it like a hot coal, blushing. There was a lurch as the thing lifted off, and a moment later we were soaring through the sky. Our journey had begun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ah, the trauma, the dramaIf I'm not careful, somebody will sue me! Do they have good laptops in prison?

Anyway, that long and extremely boring chapter is out of the way. Ain't that a relief? Trust me, things get a little more interesting later onso, until then, Adiosity!


	3. Traveling Sucks

Stone and Starfire

Stone and Starfire

Chapter Two: Traveling _Sucks_

Hello to all! Yet again, feel free to e-mail me at [Jadefire35@aol.com][1] with questions, comments, flames, hate letters, death threats, bomb threats, etc. ^_^ I won't mind! Anyway, you probably want me to get the chapter started, don't you? 

At which point does it say anywhere that I own anything? I don't, just so you know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran

I thought I was going to kill Rokona.

Sure, the little puffball was cute. Sure, Sakura thought she was adorable.

But I knew I was going to hurt something if I heard one more Pu!'

"Pu!"

Exasperated, I grumbled something in Mandarin that I really didn't want Sakura to understand.

Unfortunately, she did.

"Syaoran!" She chastised, shocked.

"Since when do you understand Mandarin?" I asked confusedly. "I mean, it isn't just something you pick up overnight."

"Since I took it for two years," she retorted. "We had to start taking another language in school, and I chose Mandarin because not that many people were taking it and it would look nice on a college application. Besides, then I could insult Touya without him knowing."

"Your teacher taught you insults?" I skeptically raised an eyebrow.

"No, the exchange students that helped teach it did." She grinned. "And you'd be surprised at just how much they know."

"Like what?"

She shrugged. "You don't want to hear it, they aren't that nice. I was one of the better students, too, so watch what you say."

__

Great, I can't even talk to myself anymore. 

"Pu!"

I could have sworn my eye was twitching. I really could have. "Could–could you make her _stop_ saying that?" I asked in a strangled voice.

"Pu! Pu pu!" 

"Rokona." Sakura picked up the white fluff ball, then said something in a language I didn't understand. Rokona turned and did what I thought was glaring at me–I wasn't too sure, because her eyes were already all scrunched up.

"What did you just say?" I asked dazedly. "And what language was it in?"

"English." She shrugged again. "I started learning that two years ago, too. And I told her you were going to go crazy if she said pu again." Her voice was glass smooth.

I could tell she was lying. "No, really, what did you say?"

"I said you were going to go crazy if she said pu again!" This time, her eyes crinkled a little in the corners, betraying her amusement.

"No, really!"

"That's what I said!"

I sighed, figuring it was a girl thing. "Whatever" 

It was going to be a long, long day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

"Syaoran says if you don't shut up he's going to kick your ass into the next world, then hunt you down and practice acupuncture on you with throwing knives," I said in English. I'd discovered that she understood whatever I said, no matter what language.

Rokona turned and glared at him, and he blinked. "What did you just say? And what language was it in?"

"English," I said casually. "I started learning that two years ago, too. And I told her you were going to go crazy if she said pu again."

He could tell I was lying, although I didn't know how. "No, really, what did you say?"

"I said you were going to go crazy if she said pu again!" I couldn't keep my eyes from crinkling up at the corners. He was so cute when he was irritated like this

"No, really!"

"That's what I said!" I insisted.

"Whatever" He sighed heavily, then went back to leaning on the rail of the flying soup bowl thing we were in. We'd only been out here for a few minutes when there was a jolt and then–

WE WERE FALLING.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I shrieked as the ground loomed closer and closer. "ROKOOONAAA!!!"

There was a flash, and the soup bowl vanished. Now there was _nothing_ between us and the ground, which was even worse.

Somehow, Syaoran managed to seize her and was shaking her violently when I looked over. About to protest, I remembered we were about a thousand feet up and dropping and subsided.

"DO SOMETHING, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF FLUFF!" He yelled frantically.

"Pu!"

"We're gonna DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!" I wailed. 

Only a hundred feet were between us and the ground. Then it was fifty–thirty–twenty–ten–

"Pu pu!"

There was a flash of indigo light, and we stopped falling. There was no jolt, no catch, no bump. We simply stopped falling. And then we dropped the remaining ten feet, landing gently on the springy moss.

For a minute, I just could not say a word because my voice literally wouldn't work. In fact, all that was coming out of my vocal cords were strange, gagging noises. But that didn't last for long. 

"Oh" I said numbly. "That was _not_ funny"

"You're telling me" Syaoran rubbed his forehead, weakly adding, "I don't know if I'm gonna be able to take this much longer."

"Well, we're stuck now. We might as well get going." I clumsily got to my feet. "Now what, Rokona?"

"You're still _trusting_ that thing?"

"She saved our lives!"

"AFTER SHE NEARLY KILLED US BOTH!"

I shook my head and was about to reply when the gem on her forehead started glowing. An indigo light shot out as she squeaked, "Pu!"

"She wants us to follow it," I said immediately. I understood what she saidmost of the time.

He crossed his arms and glared at the top of my head, where she was perching. "I don't know why we're even listening to her," he growled as I set off, knowing he'd follow.

The light led us to a town where we rested, ate lunch, and set off again. Dusk found us wearily trudging up the road, tired as hell.

"Rokona" I whined. "Where's the next town?"

"Pu!"

I blanched. "No way!" She couldn't have possibly just said we'd have to spend the night out here, because if she had I was going to hurt something very badlythat was, assuming I had the strength

"What?" Syaoran asked confusedly.

"Pu!"

"Oh, man" I rubbed a hand over my face, mumbling, "She says we're gonna have to spend the night outside."

He shrugged. "Fine, as long as we stop soon. We've got the food they gave us, right?"

"Right," I confirmed, little clouds of dust rising and settling as my feet dragged through the road.

"You know, that probably isn't the best thing in the world for those boots."

"They'll live," I grumbled. 

It didn't help my mood when we had to spend another hour looking for a place to stay. For some strange, strange reason, there were no clearings within a four mile radius of us, and we had to walk some more until we found one. Syaoran went to go get some wood as I sat down on a stump, exhausted. This was inhumane

He came back with some logs, then set them in a pile and glanced pointedly at me.

"What?" I asked wearily. "I don't light fires without matches, thank you very much."

He raised an eyebrow. "And this comes from the StarFIRE Knight?"

I scowled and pointed at the logs, muttering, "Shooting Starfire"

A few tiny balls of silvery fire flew out of nowhere, alighting on the logs. Flames crackled into existence as I sighed. Fuu and the others hadn't mentioned this part of being a Magic Knight–the aches and weariness of traveling all day. _I bet I'll feel even better tomorrow morning,_ I thought sarcastically. 

"Pu!" Rokona bounced over, pressing a piece of fruit into my hands. I numbly bit into it, surprised at the flavor–savory instead of sweet. It was warm, too; in fact, it was like eating a piece of chicken. "What is this?" I asked around a mouthful of whatever it was.

"It's some kind of fruit," Syaoran replied, stoking the fire. "I think that thing's gonna tell us if we can eat something or not."

"Yeah." I bit off another chunk, chewed, swallowed, and added, "Whatever it is, it's good. Try some."

He shrugged. "I'm not that hungry."

"You need to eat," I insisted. "I thought you said you _weren't_ an anorexic."

"I'm not. I'm just not hungry." He turned away, messing with a buckle on his boot. 

"Too bad. Don't make me sic Rokona on you."

"Ha, ha."

"Who says I'm kidding?"

He glanced up. "You've been around Umi too long."

"And?"

"And I'm still not eating."

"Can you not find food? Is that it?" 

"Pu!" 

There was a flash, and a pile of fruit appeared in front of him.

"JEEBUS!"

"OMIGOD!"

We both jumped in shock at the same time. "Well? Now you don't have an excuse." I tapped my foot impatiently. "Eat, or I'll stuff it down your throat myself."

He muttered something under his breath. I coughed, asking demandingly, "_Excuse_ me?"

"I'd like to see you try," he repeated dryly, ignoring the pile of food at his feet.

"First of all, do you have any clue how many children there are in our world that would give anything to have that food?" I asked astringently. "And second, I don't think you _would_ like to see me try, because it wouldn't be pretty."

"Really. What are you going to do, kick dust at me?"

I shot him the glare I'd picked up from Umi. "For your information, I _also_ took a martial arts class while you were gone, in case I couldn't use the cards for some reason. And I was good at it, too."

"And your point is?"

"That you really don't want me to try to stuff it down your throat, because it won't be fun. That should have been a duh."

"I'm not going to win this one, am I?" He asked wearily.

"Nope."

He shook his head and muttered something in Mandarin that wasn't too polite. I pointedly cleared my throat and he mumbled, "Sorry."

"You should be. Now eat the damn fruit!"

That caught his attention. "Since when do you swear?"

"Since I get pissed off, that's god damn when!" I tossed the core of the fruit into the fire, then glared at him until he picked up one for himself and started eating. "Good. Don't stay up too late. I'm going to sleep."

"Yes, mother."

Ignoring that, I laid down on the other side of the clearing and pulled my cloak over me, back to the fire. It was the best blanket I was going to get.

__

I hope his wife takes care of him, I thought suddenly. _Otherwise he'll starve to death._

His wife

Tears crept into my eyes, but I held them back as best I could. I wouldn't let him see me cry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran

I watched Sakura as she slept. She looked much less irritated in her sleep, although I knew she was on a short fuse because she was so tired. _And she'll be in an even better mood tomorrow morning,_ I thought wryly. _But I'm still glad I can be with her._

She rolled over, and I could see the peaceful expression on her face. A few strands of hair were falling across her face, waving in the slight breeze as she flinched and murmured something in her sleep. I smiled at her. _Someone's grown up a lot, _I reflected. _You give her two years and she turns into a goddess._ She was still beautiful enough to break every heart in Hong Kong, that was for sure. It hadn't taken that long for her to get mine. It was hard to believe I'd been willing to fight her when we'd first met. How could I have been so blind? I ran a hand through my hair, still looking at her. Every little thing about her was amazing to me. She had a good attitude. She was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. And she had the bravest, most loving heart ever. It made me wonder why she hadn't gone out with anyone for the last two years. That had been one of my biggest fears; that I'd lose her to someone else. But then that annoying voice would remind me that she wasn't really mine to begin with.

She shivered a little under her thin cloak, and I frowned. That was all she was using for a blanket?

Unclasping mine, I spread it over her. I didn't need it; and even if I had I wasn't about to let her sleep in the cold. _We can buy better supplies at the next town._

Leaning back against a stump, I stared up at the unfamiliar constellations. We were both a long, long way from home, and I had no idea when we'd get back. Of course, I wasn't even sure I wanted to call the Clan mansion my home. Mother and my sisters were the only ones who were even giving a moment's thought to my feelings; other than that, I was just another pawn for the Elders to push around on the board. Soon, I was going to be promoted–but to King. All I would be able to do is sit and watch as they manipulated the people supposedly under my' control. _Ha._ My _control, my ass._

But yet, there was nothing I could do about it

At first, I wasn't sure what it was that woke me up. Then the "Pu!" jerked me completely out of sleep, and my eyes popped open. Something big and white was right in front of me. Biting back a yelp of shock, I realized exactly what it was and swiped at it, growling, "Get _away_ from me, you puffball. Go bug Sakura, she actually likes you."

"Pu!" Rokona seized two paw-fuls of my hair and yanked. Hard.

I groped around my head, fully intending to pick her up and throw her into the nearest tree.

"Rokona!" There was a rustle as Sakura sat up on the other side of the clearing. "Let go!"

"Pu!"

She said something in English, and Rokona dropped my hair immediately. I sat up, rubbing my scalp where it still stung. "What did you say to her?"

She shrugged. "Something effective. Don't ask." Realizing I'd given her my cloak, her rueful grin turned into a frown. "_Syaoran," _she whined, "you didn't have to do that! I would have lived! Now I owe you! Weren't you _cold?"_

"Nope," I said truthfully. "You needed it more than I did."

She glared at me. "But you could have froze to death!"

"As opposed to _you_ freezing to death? Besides, like I said, I didn't need it. I'm fine." I took down the shield I'd put up before falling asleep. We hadn't reached the Forest of Silence yet, so magic still worked, but I had no clue how long that would last.

She hmphed and got up, pulling on a boot and muttering something in English when it got stuck. It was actually kind of funny to see her hopping around the clearing on one foot, while trying to jam the other one into the boot. "Need some help?" I asked dryly.

She scowled and stuck her tongue out at me. "I'm _fine,_ thank you very m–" With a yelp, she fell over. "I'm okay," she said hastily. "Fine. Spifferriffic." Sitting up, she saw the boot had finally been pulled on in the fall and grinned. "Yeah, you just go on that foot! You say No I'm not gonna go on that foot, but you go on that foot! Yeah! Yeah, that's what I thought! Who's the boss now, huh? Who's not going on that foot _now,_ huh? Yeah, that's what I thought too!"

"UmSakura, do you always talk to your shoes?" I asked nervously.

"Pu! Pu, pu pu!" This time, it sounded like Rokona had said, Yeah, and the problem is getting her to stop!'

"Shut up!" Sakura growled. "You don't have to wear shoes, you little furball, so you don't know what it's like! And, no," she added, turning to me, "I don't. But you try getting your own boots on, Mr. Tough Guy."

Had I understood Rokona for once? _Maybeyou never know, with that monster_I shrugged. "I didn't take them off."

She sighed heavily and said something in English that I suspected I didn't want to understand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

It was another long day on the road. Worse, our cash was running out. I had kept some of my things from Earth with me, and now I started selling them. The watch and the earrings sold for enough to get us into a nice hotel that night, but after that...

"Let's find a hotel," I suggested as we walked into a town. 

"Works for me." We casually strode down the street, and I stopped at the Red Tree Inn. It looked nice enough, and we would be able to spend the night. Moreover, Rokona liked it, which said much more about it than the appearances. We walked in.

"Hello!" A cheery-looking man bellowed from a table. "Looking for a place to spend the night?"

"Actually, yes," I said smoothly. 

"Hmmm" The man stood up, then walked over to us and looked me up and down. "You lookin' for work, too?"

"Not _that_ kind," Syaoran growled.

"No, I mean as a Tavern girl." He nodded at me. "Tell you what," he said cheerfully. "I'll let you spend the night for free if you serve at the bar, girl. Nice room, too."

Syaoran started to protest, but I said quickly, "We'll do it." 

"Good." He jerked his thumb at a door in the wall. "My name's Garfulk, and I own the inn. Go tell Laraine you're a girl for the night, and she'll get you ready." I obediently strode towards the wall as Syaoran started to follow, then got hauled back. "You don't go in there," Garfulk said sadly. "None of the men get to, or Laraine'll kill ya."

"But–but–" he protested as the door slammed shut behind me.

I found myself in a bright, clean room. A tall redhead of about thirty bustled over to me. "Did Garfulk just hire ye?" she asked grimly. I nodded. "I thought so. Follow me." She led the way down the hall, still talking. "The name's Laraine. I'm the head of the tavern girls. Ye report to me and Pendy and nobody else, not even that fool Garfulk out there. If someone asks ye for a drink, ye get it for them and ye don't give it til they pay. That clear?" I nodded again. "Ye're gonna be a server only. Ye're too young for anythin' else." She took a closer look at my armor. "That evolvin' armor ye got there?" I nodded again. "Ye got a weapon in that glove? Keep it on ye, then, cuz ye might need it. All of the other girls have a knife somewhere abouts, and if ye find yourself in trouble ye'll wish ye had one too." She picked up a blouse, skirt, apron and corset and threw them to me. "This is what ye're gonna wear. Go put it on an' see how it fits." She pointed to a closet nearby and I ducked in, changed and came back out. 

"Am I good?" I twirled around. 

"Ye're gonna do fine. Now, listen to me." Laraine put her face close to mine, a grim, worried frown on her face. "Ye don' let _anyone_ touch ye until ye're off hours. Don' leave the inn tonight, cuz there'll be drunks around lookin' for a good time. Don' go anywhere alone; don' let the men see ye leave cuz they might follow ye. Ye do as I or Pendy tell ye. That blonde over there–" she pointed to a tall, broad-shouldered woman "is her. She'll tell you what to do most o' the time. Now go get unpacked and be down here in twenty minutes. The only open room was upstairs and third on the left, so he's got to have given it to ye."

I nodded, then went up the rickety stairs and walked down the hall, stopping at the third door and going in. "Anyone in here?" It was empty, so I went over to the window and looked out. There was a nice view of the town and I stared at it for a while. A robin landed on a branch nearby. 

__

A robin?

Blinking, I leaned out farther. That couldn't be rightrobins were only in our world

"PU!" Ignoring Rokona's squeak of protest, I put my whole weight on the window sill and tried to get a better look at it

__

Crack!

There was a snap and the windowsill fell out from underneath me. I managed to catch the edge of the window with a hand, splinters digging into my palm as I hung on for dear life. I was three stories up, and any fall I made now would not feel very good when I landed. 

The robin landed on the ledge, tilting its head at me. I didn't like the gleam in its eyes. It hopped over, then stabbed my fingers with its sharp beak. I gasped, nearly letting go. The beak flashed down again and again, and the blood started dribbling down my wrist. 

"Pu! PU!" Rokona bounded up onto the windowsill and swatted at the bird, squealing in distress. "PUUU!"

"Sakura?" There were footsteps in the room, and the robin vanished into thin air. "Sakura!" Strong hands seized my arm in an iron grip and hauled me back inside. My knees buckled, and I collapsed weakly on the floor. Syaoran knelt in front of me, scowling. "Are you CRAZY?!" 

"No–Syaoran, I saw a robin–but it wasn't real–"

"What?"

"Pu!"

"I was looking out the window," I said breathlessly, "and I saw a robin in the tree. I was leaning out to get a better look when the windowsill broke. I was hanging on when the robin landed next to my hand and started pecking it, and then you came in and it disappeared." My hand stung sharply as I held it up for him to see. 

He frowned, taking it in his own with surprisingly gentle fingers and examining the cuts. They were deeper than I'd thought. I blushed but didn't move, my heartbeat ringing in my ears. Was I getting dizzier, or was it just the fluttering sensation in my stomach? Or both? I kept my gaze down, glancing every so often at him through my bangs. My hand was ever so slowly numbing, but I could still feel his fingers over my own. It was amazing how well my hand fit in his–it was like it was made to be there. And I wanted it to be. Sadly, that wasn't an option

"I don't like this," he said finally, his face wavering in my eyes. "There was something on its beak, Sakura, and it's spreading. I'm going to try to get it out, okay?"

I nodded mutely, my vision breaking up, and his grip tightened ever so slightly. He stared at my hand, cradled gently in both of his own, and then there was a flash of darkness and everything went black for me. 

When I woke up, my skin was tingling and it felt like every drop of blood in my veins had turned to ice. And it really, really hurt.

What was more, I couldn't move.

There was one place where I was warm. What was it called again? Oh yes, my handIt was wrapped in warmth for some reason. And I could move it. I did so feebly, trying to tell anyone out there that I was alive.

There was a rustle nearby. I couldn't see at all, but I could hear. "Sakura?" The voice was scared but familiar. "Sakura, can you hear me?"

"Pu?"

__

I. I moved my hand again. Who was it out there, staying with me?

I was floating in darkness, too. Far away, a spark of gold flickered. I'd seen it before. It came from the person beside me, but who were they?

I had to remember.

I _had_ to.

__

Say somethingplease, I need to remember who you are

"Sakura, don't give up. I'm here."

Flashes of a face came back, with flashes of memories. 

Warm, honey-brown eyes.

Hair, wild despite his efforts to tame it.

"You can wake up, Sakura. You have to fight it."

No I can't, I tried to say. I'm not strong enough. 

A green blur.

A silver sword.

__

Help meI can't do this on my own

"You can do it, Sakura. Open your eyes."

I can't do itI moaned in my mind. The gold spark grew bigger.

Sunset, in a park. _He_ was there with me again, but this time I was hurt inside and he was making me feel better somehow. It was like a gift he had–he could always make me feel better, no matter what.

"I believe in you, Sakura."

__

I believe in you

"Belief is power"

He believes in me. And I believe I him. So there has to be something in me to believe.

Love?

I believe in that

And?

And II love him

I love him, and he believes in me. I can do it. 

Instead of floating in darkness, like I had been, I tried to move and found I'd been tied up. The strings' were weak, though, and I could break them if I tried hard. 

__

I've got to get out of here! I thrashed, trying to break free. The ropes of shadow only stretched instead of breaking.

__

I'm a Magic Knight! I can do this! Magic Knight–that was it!

"Shooting Starfire!" The sheer silver energy blasted away the darkness, and with a gasp I sat up, able to move again.

Gold and silver light flickered over the walls, dying as I closed my eyes momentarily, drained. "What–was that?" I gasped numbly.

"I don't know," Syaoran replied grimly. "It was like a spell, but it was put into poison."

"Great" I sighed. "Is it gone now?"

"Yeah, it is." He got up and helped me to my feet, then took a bandage out of the pack. "Let me see that hand." 

I held it out to him and he carefully bound it up. By the time he was done, my strength had returned–along with my senses. _Oh my god, he's holding my hand._ I blushed like crazy and ducked my head, trying to hide it.

There was a pounding on the door. "Girl, we've got customers! We need ye down here _now!_"

I clumsily got to my feet as Syaoran protested. "Sakura, I think we can pay for this well enough!"

"We need to save our money," I responded. "I'll be fine." I slipped out the door and followed Laraine down the stairs.

"It's gettin' close to the busy hours," the redheaded woman said briskly, her skirts swirling around her. "Don' let any man touch ye, sober or not. 'Tisn't right for them to go after one as young as ye're."

I swallowed. _Go after?_

She led me into a crowded, noisy room and shoved a tray full of liquor in my hands, pointing to a table. "Ye're up. There's a list of what all's on there inside. Be sweet, be charming, an' be fast."   
I walked over, trying not to spill the drinks, then quickly seized the list. "Vodka, on the rocks?"

"Me." A gap-toothed man grinned as I handed him his glass.

"Pina Colada?" 

"Here."

"And you–" I passed the last mug to a third man "–must be the Scotch."

"You bet, sweetheart." Hairy fingers wrapped around my wrist, pulling me towards the man.

"Hands _off_, Berlus." An empty tray came down with a crack on his head and he released me. "Where're yer eyes? The lass is a server only. 'Sides, she's too young fer ye."

"Aw, I was just having some fun with her, Pendy," he whined unconvincingly.

"Yeah, and I'm yer granny's lover," the scowling blonde replied sarcastically. "Come on, lass. There's work to be done, and better people to hang about than this trash." I followed her, and she pulled me aside, saying, "If any of 'em so much as lays a finger on ye, kick 'em where it hurts. The law says a lass can do whatever it takes t' get out of a situation like that. Don' be shy, girl, or it could cost ye yer innocence, if ye know what I mean."

I swallowed bile. "Garfulk _never_ said anything about this."

"Ah, that's cuz Garfulk needs pretty tavern maids or the men won't come." She sighed. "An' it's only fer tonight. Tomorrow, ye won't ever have to do this again. Now, get back to work. Any lass standing around is a good target."

I picked up a tray and went back to serving. It was chaos by ten o' clock–absolute, total chaos. Men were just starting to find they'd had a little too much to drink, and a few had already passed out. I didn't even register names and faces, just went to table after table. After a little, it was time for my shift at the actual bar, so I slipped behind the counter, serving man after man. It got to the point where I didn't even look at who I was serving; it was just pour the drink and get the money, pour the drink and get the money. I had to keep the people who were sitting at the bar happy, and that meant a glass could never be empty. Seats were vacated and filled, vacated and filled. If they asked you to refill their glass, you did it without a moment's hesitation and moved on.

"What'll it be for you tonight?"

"I'll have a rum, extra dry." I got it for him, took the money, and moved on.

"What'll it be for you tonight?"

"Plum wine." He left to go sit at another table as soon as the cash was in my pocket and the glass was in his hand.

"Whoops!" A man drunkenly fell off a stool, knocking his mug over.

"Oh, crap" I picked up a rag and wiped beer off of the dark wood, then got someone else a bourbon and moved down, my eyes never leaving the bar's surface.

"What'll it be for you tonight?" I stared at the counter, wiping up yet another spill from the last occupant.

"Nothing, thank you."

The warm voice caught my attention, and I glanced up. "What are you doing here?" I hissed. "You're still a minor!"

"And so are you."

"Well, I work here!"

"And your point is?"

"That I'm an employee! I can be here! You can't!"

"Why not? I'm not drinking."

"So?"

"So I can be here." He crossed his arms and matched my glare. "And I'm going to stay."

I sighed. "What'll it be, then?"

"I already said. Nothing."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Do you know how long you last if you don't drink in here? They've already kicked a non-drinker out of the bar already."

"And you're suggesting I get drunk?"

"No, I'm suggesting that you at least get water and sit with it in front of you, because then it looks like vodka and anyone who's drunk enough to pick a fight with you is also going to be too drunk to tell the difference."

"Oh." He stared at me as I shoved a glass at him, the clear contents swirling inside. "You picked up a lot in two hours."

"It's eleven already?" I asked, bewildered. 

"Yeah." He took out a handkerchief as I leaned heavily on the counter. "Here."

"Thanks." I gratefully mopped my face with it, started to give it back, took a better look at it, and tucked it into my apron pocket. "Let me wash it."

"Okay." He shrugged as Pendy came by.

"Don't flirt with the customers!" She hissed. "Unless ye're older than I thought!"

"I'm not flirting!" I retorted, blushing. "He's my friend!"

"Oh. Well, it _looks_ like ye're flirting. Knock it off, or the rest of 'em will be wondering why I said _they_ had to keep their hands off ye." She was gone before I could protest.

"I–I have to make sure everyone's okay," I stammered, not looking at him.

"Yeah," he said hastily, picking up the glass of water and taking a long gulp as I moved away.

"What'll it be for you tonight?" I asked wearily.

"A Scotch on the rocks." The man slumped over the table as I got a rag to wipe up the drool.

__

Here we go again

I settled back into my routine, treating Syaoran as if he were a normal customer with some difficulty. Finally, there was a pause, and I went to chat with him.

"Was it this bad when you started?" he asked, gesturing to the rest of the room. The dull roar of drunken conversation was occasionally broken by a shout of laughter, the air hazy with smoke. 

"About the same," I said truthfully. "You know, you don't have to do this. I can handle myself."

He raised an eyebrow, glancing pointedly over at a giant of a man who was downing another gallon of ale. "No comment."

"Hey, looks like the little lass got herself a man," Berlus yelled, lurching over to the counter. "So you were free, after all."

"No, I–"

"You got yourself a man there, sweetheart!" he howled, pointing at Syaoran. " Are you saying you don't, and you're free again?" There were murmurs of interest as he bellowed that out. "How many here think she's free?"

There was a roar of approval as I slowly backed away from Berlus. Syaoran had come around to stand behind me as the drunken man turned. "So are you with him or not?"

I whirled to face Syaoran, scared. He nodded quickly, scowling at the men, and I shouted, "I'm not free! Especially to you!"

"She's mine," he said firmly.

"She ain't free, eh?" a burly man asked, yelling from across the room. "Well, we ain't seen no proof!"

__

Proof? I don't think I'm going to like this

"Yeah!"

"Well? Where's our proof you ain't free?" Berlus asked.

"What do you mean, proof?" Syaoran growled.

"Ye're with him, ain't ye?" The other man slammed his mug onto the table with a crash. "Then let's see how _much_ with him!"

"He means kiss him," Laraine said grimly from behind me. "Sorry, lass. I was in the back when this started."

__

Kiss? They wanted me to _kiss_ Syaoran? [AN: No, really?] Heat rushed to my face as I tried not to look at him.

"It's okay with me," he said softly. "We have to get you out of here."

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I should have just paid for tonight."

"Well?" Berlus demanded.

Syaoran shot him a glare, then bent down and kissed me.

It was the most amazing thing in the world, that was for sure. _He's a good actor,_ I thought sadly. _Too bad this isn't realwhat I'd give for it to be_ Heat rushed through me as I stood there, doing the unthinkable. His hand gently caressed my cheek as I blushed but didn't stop for fear that the moment wouldn't last much longer. We'd both have to break it off soon, and _he_ wasn't the one who was enjoying this as much as I was unless there was something he wasn't telling me. _That_ much I sincerely doubted. I felt more than a touch of guilt at this, though–I'd been relying on him so much lately, and that wasn't fair to him at all. 

__

Oh, shut up, my mind sighed. _You're ruining the moment with your worrying! When's the next chance you'll get to kiss _him_ of all people?_

If only it were real, thoughIf only he actually wanted to be touching my cheek like he was, instead of being pulled into this whole situationIf only he had wanted to kiss meIf only he loved me too

"Awwwww" Berlus scowled. "You're mighty lucky there, boy."

He gently pulled away as I stared at the floor, scarlet. My heart was pounding in my ears. Now I _really_ owed him

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran

I had never, ever expected that to happen. 

I had thought I'd stay in the tavern until Sakura's shift was up, and then walk her back to the room. We'd wake up in the morning and go. That would be that.

But then that jackass Berlus came in.

And before I knew it, it was either kiss Sakura or have her be at the mercy of over forty drunk men.

It would be a cold day in hell when I let that happen.

"Well?" Berlus was demanding.

I glared at him. It was his fault we were in this position. If I felt sorry for anyone, it was Sakura. After all, she hadn't asked for this. She was saving us money by working, and the minute she took a break someone put her in the worst situation possible.

Besides, she'd said we were friends.

Only friends.

That didn't mean I didn't still love her, though.

And now someone was telling me to kiss her. Which I would have done, any day of the week, except that as far as I knew she didn't feel the same way. And so I was standing in front of her. She wouldn't even look at me. We were both as embarrassed as hell. _This isn't the ideal situation,_ I thought wryly. _And the Elders would kill me if they knew._

But since when do I give a rat's ass about the Elders anyway? And when is another opportunity like this going to pop up? How about NEVER?

That cinched it. Bending down, I kissed her. Which, of course, just about fulfilled my purpose in life. It didn't get much better than this. 

She was a good actor, that was for certain. I felt pretty bad for her, though. There was no way she was enjoying it as much as I was. I could have sworn my heart was about to shoot through the roof, it was pounding so hard. And somewhere along the way, I'd lost control of my hand and it had stroked her cheek, like I'd always wanted to do but never had to courage to. She didn't seem to mind, though, so I didn't move it.

"Awwwwww" Berlus moaned. "You're mighty lucky there, boy."

__

Don't I know it, I thought ruefully. With more than a touch of regret, I pulled away and tried not to look at her because I knew my face would turn several varying shades of crimson if I did.

"Pu!"

__

Did I just hear what I thought I heard?

A white form sprang into the room. "Pu! Pu! Pu!" Rokona landed on the counter, tilting her head at us. "Pu?" It sounded to me like she was saying, Hey, there you are! I've been looking–whoa, what did I miss?'

"Go away!" Sakura hissed. "You shouldn't be here!"

"What the hell is that?!" Berlus squawked.

Rokona turned and glared at him. "Pu!"

I picked her up and walked out, glad for an excuse to leave for the moment. There was no way I could face Sakura right then

I stared at the single bed, Sakura next to me. Dawn was only a few hours away, and we were both exhausted. "Oh, crap. I forgot all about this."

"I'll sleep on the floor," she said immediately.

"Pu!" Rokona hopped onto the bed.

"No, I will." I seized a spare blanket from the closet.

"No, I will!" She scowled at me. "I owe you!"

"For what?"

"For saving my ass, that's what!"

"You saved mine with the demon," I said pointedly. "And you got us in here for free."

"But you can't sleep on the floor! It's cold–it's stone, damn it!" She stamped on it to emphasize her point. 

I shrugged. "Better than nothing."

"Not by much!"

"Pu!"

I sighed. "Sakura, I'll live, okay?"

She rubbed a hand over her face, looking mad and tired but pretty nonetheless. "I don't like it," she muttered. "You're always the one who loses out, and it's bothering me."

I coughed. "Excuse me? Did I just come back from serving forty drunk men for eight hours straight, just so we could have a free room? I don't think so!"

"You're not helping, you know." She frowned, then stood up. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" She didn't answer as she walked out the door. "Sakura?" I sighed and sat down on the bed, weary–although most likely not even close to as tired as she was. Admittedly, it would have cost us a lot more to spend the night here, but stilland she thought _I_ was the one losing out.

I leaned back against the wall, resting my eyes. The smoke in the tavern had been pretty rough on thembut I'd only rest a minute

I woke up to find my shoulder weighed down by something. Unsure what it was, I opened my eyes and saw Sakura next to me, asleep with her head on my shoulder. Dawn still hadn't come yet. 

I sighed, looking down at her. She looked so peaceful and quiet, just sleeping thereDid I really want to move? Did I really want to move _her?_

Not at all.

And I was still tired

She shivered a little, and I frowned. The spare blanket was clutched in her hand, so I pried it loose and spread it over her. A few bangs fell over her eyes, and she murmured something in English that I didn't understand, then stopped, her lips slightly parted and breathing softly. The Elders would have a fit if the saw this, too. But I didn't care; I had an angel sleeping next to me with her head on my shoulder, and nothing in the world would ever make me give that up.

She flinched, and I automatically brushed the hair away from her face.

God, did I want to kiss her again.

__

Not an option, I reminded myself. _Not an option, ever._ _The Elders would kill me the minute I got back._

But who cares about the Elders anyway? I'm sick of them running my life for me.

I don't want to be Clan Leader, I realized. _I want to stay here with Sakura, even if she doesn't love me, and I want to marry who_ I _want to marry._

But would they let me?

Not a chance in hell.

I leaned back once more and tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to go to sleep again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

Scowling, I came back into the room. _I'll sleep on the floor or not at all,_ I thought grimly. _Syaoran's done enough for me already._

How could it be that there were no other rooms? Not a single one was open. That pissed me off more than anything else.

"I–" I broke off, seeing he'd fallen asleep. I could just about guess what had happened, too; he'd probably sat down on the bed the minute I'd left, closed his eyes for a minute, and fallen asleep. It was just the kind of thing he'd do, and then feel guilty about the next morning.

I shook my head ruefully, then sat down next to him and tried to fall asleep too. This actually worked out better than if he'd been awake, because neither of us got the bed and neither of us had to sleep on the floor. 

I was exhausted, but sleep still avoided me. I didn't know why. Was there too much for me to think about? That night had certainly been interesting

And that kiss

My eyes roguishly opened, and I glanced at him. Even in his sleep, he looked worried. I didn't want him to be worried. If he was worried, I was worried.

In some ways, he was like a brother to me. He was always making sure I was fine before anything else, and that never failed to make me feel guilty.

Of course, it made me love him even more, too. He never took care of himself if there was someone else who was with him. And unfortunately, that was me. 

My eyelids slowly fell, feeling as though they were weighed down with lead, and I leaned back against the wall wearily. I was more than ready to go to sleep by now–my entire body was one giant ache. With a sigh, I fell asleep.

__

In my dream, I was standing in a dark, dark hall. But it wasn't dark in a way that I couldn't see; it was simply dark. Every single column and arch was sharply etched in my eyes–so sharp, it almost hurt. Everything was perfect, down to the last detail. "I don't like this," I muttered in English under my breath. A chill crept up my spine.

A strange sword was shimmering in my fist as I strode silently down the marble floor, towards a dais at the end. A giant chair, shaped almost like an egg with a section cut out, was floating above the dais's direct center with its back to me. I did not know who–or what–was in it.

Something was wrong. Why was I all alone? Where was Syaoran?

"Where is Syaoran?" I whispered. 

The person in the chair knew the answer.

"Face me!" I yelled, bringing up the sword. "Tell me where he is!"

There was no response as I strode to the base, then leapt up the stairs. My sword was so long, and yet no heavier than a feather. How could that be? If I set it in front of me with the hilt touching the ground, it would have stretched another two feet above my head

"Where is he?" I demanded, now at the chair. "Where is he?"

It ever so slowly turned around. A dark mask covered the person's face, a hood over his head. And I knew that all was not right. 

"He is gone."

"No!" The gasp was soft as I sat bolt upright. A blanket fell from my shoulders, and I blinked in the bright morning sunshine that streamed in, distorted by shadows from the tree outside the window.

"Pu!" Rokona hopped onto my lap as I looked around. I was alone in the room.

"Where's Syaoran?" I asked quietly.

"Pu! Pu, pu!" He just left, but I think he'll be back soon."

"Oh, okay." I got up and leaned out the window. How funny it was, that no matter what world I was in, I still liked to sleep in Taking my regular clothes, I went into the tiny room adjacent to ours to change, then tied the tavern clothes into a bundle, then put them into the glove jewel. It was always good to have a second pair of clothes.

I ran a brush through my hair, then pulled it back the best I could and went downstairs. Syaoran wasn't there either, so I took some money, told Rokona to wait for him, and went to the market for some more supplies.

It was already crowded as I entered. Stalls on either side of me were stuffed with produce and goods, their owners yelling at the top of their lungs about how good of a deal their stuff was.

__

What about dried fruit? I wondered. _That would last a while, and it tastes okay._ _And we need blankets and other food, too._

Knowing what I was looking for now, I set off. It didn't take me long to find the dried fruit, but it wasn't the same for everything else. I managed to get some other foods that the vendors assured me would last a while, but it still wasn't enough. 

"Excuse me?"

I turned around, on my way out of another shop and exasperated. This was the seventh store I'd looked in, and they didn't have anything that we could use. _What is it now?_ "Yes?"

"I heard you were looking for traveling supplies," the small, thin, balding man replied, cracking his knuckles anxiously. "I know where you can find some."

"Really?" I asked, relieved. 

"Absolutely," he said quickly. "Follow me."

I should have known better. I really should have. Hikaru had said not to go off on my own. I'd been told over and over again not to go with strangers. But I still went with him, replete in my naiveté. 

My first sign that something was wrong should have been that we were going in a dark, secluded alley. After seeing that, I should have gotten out as fast as I could. But I still foolishly followed him.

It was when a hard, scarred, hairy arm wrapped around my waist and another around my throat when I knew I was in trouble. I tried to get my glaive from the jewel, thrashing wildly, but in a swift move my attacker had my arms twisted behind me, wrenching my shoulder painfully. I opened my mouth to scream–

And a rag was stuffed into it. A rope was knotted tightly around my wrists, cutting deep into skin. I kicked out at anything that moved, doing whatever I could to get free, but nothing was workinga funny-smelling rag was held over my nose, and suddenly everything went black.

When I woke up, a vile stench filled my nose. I sat up painfully.

"Don't."

"What?" I whirled–or tried to whirl; I was still bound–towards the speaker.

It was a weary-looking young woman. "Don't sit up," she said lowly. "Pretend you're still asleep, or they might come for you."

"Come for?"

She was about to respond when there were footsteps and I saw we were in a cell of sorts. I fell back and laid as still as I could, listening in horror and revulsion to the conversation.

The footsteps halted in front of our tiny cell. "What about the wench?" a rough voice slurred. "That new one."

"No," a cold voice said firmly. "She's good-looking, and they pay more for virgins."

"How do you know?"

"She's got the look," the voice said tonelessly. "And she's going to the auction, so keep your hands off."

There was a nasty curse, and the footsteps went on.

"That's what I mean by come for'," she said grimly. "You're lucky, you don't have that long to wait until the auction. Of course, that isn't always a good thing."

"Auction?" I asked, feeling the blood drain out of my face. "What auction?"  
"You don't know?" she asked bitterly. "The slave auction. We're both going to be sold."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, that's never a good sign. So, Sakura's just been doomed to a life of unpaid labor and there's nothing she can do about it. Doesn't that sound like fun?

   [1]: mailto:Jadefire35@aol.com



	4. Sakura Gets Her Groove On

Stone and Starfire

Stone and Starfire

Sakura Gets Her Groove On

So, that was an interesting last chapter. Syaoran learned Sakura knows not only English, but Mandarin too, so she can talk to herself in English but he can't talk to himself in Mandarin. Poor boy, sucks for him. And then they spend the night in the forest, then go on. And then they go to a town, and Sakura makes a deal with an innkeeper that gets them a free room for the night in exchange for her services as a tavern girl. Of course, she has no idea of _all_ the things tavern girls are supposed to do, and manages to be a server only. And then she goes back to the room, gets poisoned by a postal robin sent from Chaos, gets help from Syaoran and wakes back up, and then gets told to go to work in the tavern because it's time for her to start. A drunk guy tries to get with her [ XP] but one of the other tavern girls helps her out and tells everyone that she's a server _only_, and then she has to work her ass off. And then Syaoran comes down to make sure no one tries anything with her, and after working a lot she stops to talk with him and the drunk guy says that she's with him and she must have been free after all. When she says she isn't with him, the drunk guy says then she's still free unless she _is_ Syaoran's girl, and so she has to say she's his, and another guy says there's no proof, and they make them kiss to prove they're really together. And of course they think the other's acting, but it's still a kawaii moment nonetheless. And then after that, they go back and fall asleep and Sakura has a weird dream and then she wakes up and he's gone and she eats breakfast and then she goes to the market to get some better traveling supplies and ends up being kidnapped and finds herself heading to a slave auction–and she's going to be sold. And then, this one time, at band camp, I found out that if I actually say that I own this, people are gonna sue me. Doesn't that suck? But I don't own this, so I won't say that I do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran

"PU!"

"Get _off_ me, you little fluff ball," I sighed, glaring Rokona. At the moment, she had my arm in a death grip and I couldn't really shake her off.

"Pu! Pu, pu, pu, pu, PU!" She scowled as I blinked, realizing I'd understood what she'd said. No! Sakura's in trouble, you idiot!'

"What?!"

"Pu! Pu!" She went to buy better supplies, and slavers got her!'

"How?"

"Pu! Pu, pu! Pu!" I don't know, but the auction starts in a few minutes! You have to buy her!'

I started to reply, then realized we were drawing interesting looks from the people nearby. _They don't know what she's saying,_ I realized suddenly.

"Pu!" Go!'

I took off for the town hall, where a crowd was gathering inside. "You can make stuff," I hissed to Rokona, who was perched on my shoulder, as I darted up the steps and into the hall.. "I need a lot of money and I need it fast."

"Pu!" This time, I didn't understand what she said, but a sack the size of my doubled fists fell out of thin air and I caught it. It was so heavy, I nearly dropped it, then looked inside and saw it was stuffed with gold Dragon coins–Cephiro's highest currency. One alone was enough to buy more food than we could ever eat. "That'll work," I breathed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the auction starts now." A fat man stepped up to the podium, and I glared at him. Anyone who dealt in slaves was disgusting. "Our first one is a young woman who is in fine condition."

A dirty, ragged woman with haunted eyes was brought onto the platform. She hardly struggled, looking like she was dead inside, and I shuddered. Had that happened to Sakura?

"She will work long and hard, and will breed many children. She's already broken in, as you can see. I start the bidding at ten Griffyns."

I watched, repulsed, as the bidding went back and forth. People were bought and sold; children, men, women–all gone. 

Then they brought out Sakura.

She wasn't making it easy on them, that was for sure. In fact, she nearly fell off the platform trying to squirm out of her captor's grasp. I caught my breath and squared my shoulders as men whistled from the crowd. There were more than a few raunchy comments about her, and it was all I could do to keep myself from strangling their originators.

"Ladies and gentlemen–gentlemen in particular–this is a fine young lass. She has spirit, looks, and she's still clean. If you want a break from your regular slaves, I would recommend her."

"What's her name?" A big man asked.

"Name? Slaves have no name," the auctioneer laughed.

"I–" she started to yell, but a woman on the platform slapped her sharply across the face as the crowd laughed. I was more than ready to draw my sword and go after every single person in the hall, but that wouldn't help her a much as if I just kept my mouth shut, so I bit my tongue and glowered at them. 

"See? I said she had spirit."

__

Oh boy. They're in for it nowmaybe I won't need the money

"Let me go!"

"I start the bidding at thirty Phoenixes," he continued, ignoring her. "Do I hear thirty-five?"

"Forty," a man called, adjusting his belt and looking smug.

I gritted my teeth, but someone else said, "Forty-five."

"Fifty."

"Fifty-five," he shot back.

"Sixty."

"Sixty-five."

"Seventy."

"Seventy-five." 

I glanced inside the bag. How many Phoenixes were in a Dragon? Ten? There were easily fifty Dragon coins inside

"Seventy-five going once," the announcer said as the other man subsided. "Seventy-five going twice."

"Fifty Dragons," I said quickly. 

People turned to stare at me as men hollered and I blushed but kept my eyes on the podium. "Fifty Dragons?" the auctioneer repeated weakly. That was the equivalent of a poor man's income for three years.

"Fifty," I said grimly.

"Any–um–higher bids?"

There was total silence as Sakura stared at me, along with the auctioneer. The difference between their looks was that now she had a spark of hope in her eyes, and his was just plain amazed. Then she raised her eyebrows, seeming to ask, Can I?'

I gave her the tiniest of nods, knowing exactly what she meant.

Silver light seared through the ropes as she whispered the spell, but it was so tiny that no one noticed.

That is, no one noticed until they fell away.

"SHOOTING STARFIRE!" Burning white-silver lit the platform on fire as screams were heard. _She's really pissed,_ I thought grimly. _But I don't blame her._

"Get her!" The auctioneer had managed to get away, and was now pointing at her, red faced.

"Stone shield!" Gold light shot from my palms and formed a bubble around her, and I strode towards the platform as she glared at the slaver, silver flames flickering around her silhouette.

"I have a name," she said coldly. "_I am Sakura._ And every _person_ you sold today has a name. And a soul. And a heart. And they're free now."

"But–but–" the slave trader spluttered. 

"But what?" I asked coldly, now on the platform and standing by her side. 

"But what about us, who bought them?" a fat man sneered. "And you can't just tear up the town hall like this, you know." I caught him as he jerked his head ever so slightly at us, and guards moved forward from the sides. There were too many for us to take on, so there had to be another way out

I looked up and saw a chandelier at the same time Sakura did the same. The rope was tied to the wall only a few feet away, so I threw an arm around her waist, got a good grip on the rope with my hand, and cut it free from the wall with a dagger I'd had hidden in my sleeve. We shot straight up, and my arm tightened around her. If she fellThe ceiling drew nearer and nearer as arrows shattered on the gold shield around us. _Now what?_

"Now what?" Sakura asked, echoing my thoughts.

"I don't know," I replied tersely.

"Pu!"

I noticed for the first time that Rokona was huddled in Sakura's arms. "Can't you do anything?" I hissed at the white puffball. 

"Pu! Pu!" The gem on her forehead turned from indigo to silver and a beam of light shot out of it, connecting with Sakura's forehead. 

She shuddered, her eyes turning silver, and a minute later she shouted, "Star Flight!" A pair of pearly wings exploded from her back and she seized my arm. There was a flash of pain in my back, and then I was all too aware of the two new appendages there also. "Come on!" she urged, flying straight towards a window. "Shooting Starfire!" It was shattered in an instant and we flew through, dodging the shower of falling glass. We didn't even stop at the inn to pack; instead, we flew down the road until that village was out of sight. I had just checked over my shoulder a final time to make sure it was really gone when Rokona squealed in distress and I turned around. Sakura was falling, her wings disappearing. I dove after her, catching her just before she hit the ground. She was unconscious.

"Pu!"

"What happened?" I asked tensely as my own wings vanished. 

"Pu! Pu, pu. Pu." She's used too much of her magic today. When she's gotten used to it, using as much as she did today won't be a problem, but it's still new to her. And that spell she just learned takes a lot of strength."

"Oh. When will she wake up?"

"Pu." I don't know.'

"Great," I sighed.

"Pu, pu pu?" Are you going to kiss her again?'

I glared at Rokona, my face rapidly turning various shades of red. [AN: Including Salmon, Melon, Crimson, Scarlet, Sunrise, Persimmon, Vermilion] "No! They made me, you dirty-minded little rabbit!"

"Pu." Doesn't mean you can't do it again, you know.'

I scowled at her. "I'm not dignifying that with a response."

"Pu pu." You mean you just can't think of one. Besides, you know you want to kiss her.'

"And your point is?"

"Pu." Nothing. I'll be right back.' She bounded away.

I looked down at Sakura. Rokona was right; I did want to kiss her again. Really, really badly. But it wouldn't be right, so I didn't. Instead, I contented myself with just looking at her, which I didn't really get to do all that often. She was so beautiful, no matter what. And that would never change for me. 

"Wha?" Sakura sat up dazedly and looked around. "Where am I?"

"You passed out," I said quickly, leaning back so our faces weren't as close as they had been a split second ago. "We're back on the road."

"Oh." She blinked, then scowled. "I can't believe I was almost _sold"_

"I know. We've got to tell the others when we get back." I stood and offered her a hand. She took it, getting to her feet, and leaned against a tree for a moment. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she said after a moment. "I'm fine."

"Pu!" What did I miss?' Rokona bounced into the clearing, one of her ears twitching expectantly.

"Nothing," she said dryly. "Now let's keep going."

It was another long day on the road, but the good–or somewhat good–news was that we had reached the edge of the Forest of Silence. Which was, coincidentally, anything but silent. There were plenty of birdcalls, animal howls, and other noises that I didn't want to hear, but there was no silence. And Rokona wasn't helping.

That night was an interesting one. I say interesting' because any other words I might use to describe it would not sound good. One would be hellish.' Another would be humiliating.' Of course, there were ups and downs.

"We're travelers," Sakura was telling the strange, strange being in front of us. This was how it all started–we'd decided to spend the night outside of the Forest of Silence so we would be able to use our magic still. On our way to look for a clearing, we found the guard of a village that was apparently nearby. Only this wasn't any ordinary village–it was a village people of another species, and the guard was no exception. He looked as though someone had taken a bird and a man and shoved the two in a blender, then dumped what was left in front of us. "We need a place to spend the night."

"Why not here?" he asked tonelessly.

"Oh, we couldn't do that," she said quickly. "We can't take advantage of your hospitality like that. It wouldn't be right."

"We have many legends." The guard crossed his arms. "More than one are of the Magic Knights from another world."

"It would be an honor to have you in our village." A taller, more commanding bird-man stepped out from a path hidden until now as we blinked in surprise. How had the guard known? "I am the leader, and I know that the Eltayzin rarely get human visitors, and very few have been Magic Knights."

"Eltayzin?" she asked, puzzled.

"Our people. Now come, the rest of the village wishes to see the two Knights of Magic."

There was no choice but to follow him. I kept a wary eye out, but there were no surprises and in a minute we were in the strangest looking place I'd ever seen. The houses were built around tree trunks, so that they were both on the ground and in the trees; that and they were painted in colors so bright it almost hurt my eyes. People were all around, walking and flying on the ground or in the air. 

"Wow!" Sakura's eyes were glued to the sky, watching shapes fly back and forth. "That's _amazing!_ I wish–AH!" She stumbled over a rock and I caught her quickly.

"Watch the path," I advised dryly.

"How can I?" She waved her hands at the trees and the village square. "There's too much to look at!"

I sighed and made no comment. 

That is, until we were attacked.

If you ask Sakura about this, she'll say we weren't_ attacked._ She'll say that they were merely being defensive. I call it being attacked. Or assaulted. Whatever it was, it ended with us having about a dozen razor sharp spears pointing directly at us. Which is never a good thing. 

My sword was out in a flash and pointed right back at them. 

__

"Syaoran," Sakura hissed. 

"Sakura, we're outnumbered one to six and _they_ are the ones surrounding us," I hissed back. "What is it?!"

"Please, everybody, put down your weapons." The leader, whose name was Gaindel, planted himself in between us and assailants firmly. "These are our guests, two Magic Knights."

There was a clank as all but one of the birdmen lowered their weapons. The last one kept his aimed at me, and I didn't like the look of him. Or the look he gave Sakura.

"Izden." Gaindel glared pointedly at him. "They are _guests._"

"They are humans," he spat. "That should be reason enough to kill them."

"Not all humans deal in slaves," Gaindel sighed.

"I was almost sold," Sakura added quickly. "But we got out."

"Women should have no part in the men's conversations," Izden said icily. "They are inferior, and it is ridiculous to allow them to act otherwise."

I glared at him. That was stupid; we were all equal and no one was better than anyone else. [AN: Actually, we all know that women are better. Nobody with more then a single brain cell will argue with that. But I don't think he'd admit that] Of course, my reaction was nothing compared to Sakura's.

I hadn't even seen her pull out her glaive, but as soon as the words were out of Izden's mouth, the razor-sharp blade was hovering a few inches away from his neck. "Take that back," she said coldly. "Before I cut out your vocal cords."

"Izden, you disgrace us." Gaindel's face was stony. "Magic Knight Sakura has every right to kill you. It is a sad day when an Eltayzin is rude enough to insult a legendary guest to her face. You are dismissed."

He lowered his spear, still glaring at us, then silently walked away.

"I apologize," Gaindel said sadly. "He is a fool... But, you say you escaped the slave traders. How did you do that?"

Sakura smiled. "Well, I was about to be auctioned off when Syaoran bid for me, and his price was so high it startled everybody and I could burn through the ropes while they weren't looking. And then I set the platform on fire, and they started to attack me, but he put up a shield. And then there were too many people and we needed a way to get out, so Rokona taught me a new spell and we got out."

"What was this new spell?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, you want to see?" she asked eagerly.

"Sakura, don't–" I started to object, but she was already shouting the incantation. The wings popped out of her back, and she flew into the air. 

For the moment, that is. 

It didn't take more than a second for her to faint and the wings to disappear. She fell, only about twenty feet up, and I caught her with an inner sigh. She'd drained herself again. "Rokona, I thought you said she'd get used to it," I said with a touch of irritation.

Rokona did what I thought was shrugging. "Pu."

I shook my head and turned to Gaindel. "She failed to mention the fact that she used too much magic and she's still wiped out," I explained.

He laughed. "So I noticed. She also failed to mention you were a couple."

My face burned and I said hastily, "We aren't."

"Really." He raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't seem like it. Perhaps you wish it was

I could have sworn my face couldn't get any redder, but it did. "We're _friends_."

"I see," he said wryly. "Rultheyni?"

A slender white form landed beside him. "Yes?" the young Eltayzin chirped. She looked about Sakura's age.

"The two newer Magic Knights will be spending the night with us. Sakura, the Knight of Starfire, has exhausted herself." He pointed at her with a wingtip and a hand. "Will you see to her?"

"Of course, Father." She gestured, and Sakura lifted out of my arms, then vanished as the same time Rultheyni did.

"Now," Gaindel said, slinging an arm around my shoulders, "let me show you the village"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

I woke up in a strange bed. It felt like I was lying on an immense pile of down that had been covered with a blanket. Which was, coincidentally, what it was.

"You're up," a low, musical voice said. My eyes focused on a face that was far from human. "I'm Rultheyni, Gaindel's daughter. You passed out after using that spell."

"Ohright." I tried to sit up but couldn't.

"Drink this." She passed me a cup of bright blue liquid, and I sipped at it. 

A tingling shot through me as I choked on the bitter taste, but downed the rest anyway. "What _is_ this?"

"It's an herb," she said, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "And now you have your strength back, no?"

I sat up experimentally and had to agree with her. Whatever god-forsaken plant that had been, it was effective. "Where is everybody? How long have I been asleep?"

"Two hours, and they're all at the dance. Including your boyfriend."

"Dan–BOYFRIEND?!" I blushed wildly.

"Well, he is, isn't he?" She tilted her head quizzically, eyes dancing in laughter. "You certainly act as though he is."

"No! We're _friends!_"

"I see" She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, you can wash off and change into some clean clothes, because you look like you could use a bath."

"I really could," I said gratefully. 

"Right this way, then." She led me to a door, then handed me a towel and a stack of clothing and pushed me in. I took a quick bath, scrubbing away the dirt, dust, and grime I'd accumulated on the road, and got dressed in the newer stuff. I'd just tied the last strap when Rultheyni came in.

"Is it true?" she asked breathlessly. 

"What?" I picked up a brush and started trying to yank it through the tangles.

"Put that thing down." She clicked her teeth ruefully and picked up a comb, working through my knotted hair. "That you nearly slit Izden's throat. He's telling everyone that two demons human form are claiming to be the Magic Knights, and they're going to corrupt us all."

"Really," I said dryly. "My, I _am_ quite the little corrupter, aren't I? Do you feel corrupted?"

She laughed. "That's the general opinion; nobody ever really believes him. Anyway, did you truly almost kill him?"

I blushed. "I get enough sexist bullshit at home," I said, embarrassed. "And it's been a long day."

"Well, you endeared yourself to the locals, that's for sure," she said cheerfully, putting a headband in my hair. "There isn't a person in this village that can stand that arrogant son of a motherless goat."

I laughed. "That's a relief. Now, what did you mean when you said Syaoran was at the dance?"  
"Your boyfriend?"

"NO!"  
"Well, he's a boy, and you're friends, right?"

I glowered at her. "The _dance_, Rultheyni. Tell me about the _dance._"

She sighed heavily. "Every week, we have a dance in the village square. It's a way to settle disputes without anyone getting hurt, and just an overall celebration. It keeps our people together."

"How do people settle disputes?"

"It only works for disputes of honor," she explained. "Like two young men might challenge each other over an insult, or two women over another such unresolved issue. They each have to dance to the same song, and the best dancer wins."

"Hmm" I mused. "That's an interesting concept."

"Not only that, but unless I miss my guess the betting odds are that Izden challenges your boyfriend tonight."

"WHAT?!"

I stood up and started to run outside, then saw we were fifty feet above the ground and hesitated. _Syaoran would get mad at me if I used Star Flight,_ I reflected, _but I think–it's almost like–my power's grown, and I can handle it now._

"Wait!" Rultheyni caught up to me. "I'll take you downstairs."

"No, I've got a spell that will work," I assured her. "I wish I had wings, though–permanent ones."

She blinked, then slowly started to grin. "Sakura, you're a genius."

"What?"

She seized my arm, and we vanished, reappearing on the lower level. Before I could comment–which I was more than ready to–she had bustled off, scurrying around the workshop-like room we were in. After a moment, she returned with a bag of powder and a glass of water. "Watch," she instructed. Taking a small spoon, she dumped two scoops of the green dust into the water and stirred it up, then handed it to me. "Now drink it."

I took the glass and drained it quickly, surprised at the sweet flavor. "Now what?"

She smothered a laugh. "You'll see."

I blinked at her. Then a tickling sensation ran up my back, quickly turning to a tingle. There was a flash of pain and two wings sprouted from my shoulder blades. "Oh," I said weakly.

"They're only going to last for eight hours," she said briskly. "But you can take enough with you to get through the Forest of Silence. It's the least we can do to help the Magic Knights."

"Wow" I sighed. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem, she said casually. "Now, let's see how your boyfriend's holding up."

"Will you stop calling him my boyfriend?" I hissed, blushing. 

"Nope."

I sighed, but broke off as we came to the village square and met with an incredible scene.

People were all around, all dancing, both in the air and on the ground, in a strange but wildly beautiful pattern to the oddest music I'd ever heard. The deep beat rang in my heart, the fluttering pipe songs catching my soul up and whirling it around like a feather in the wind. I took a deep breath and felt the air rushing around inside me. It felt like I was soaring.

"Eltayzin music is like none other," Rultheyni said with more than a touch of smugness.

"No kidding," I breathed.

She grabbed my hand. "Come on, let's dance!"

"What?!" I squeaked. "But–but–I don't know how to!"

She shrugged, hauling me into the crowd. "Nobody will know. And besides, you're a Magic Knight from another world. They'll figure it's how you dance back home. Now come on!" She pushed me into the dance and I froze, unsure of what to do.

Turning back to me, she rolled her eyes and sighed. "Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Just do it."

I obediently closed them. "Now what?"

"Just listen to the music and feel it, then go." There was a pause and she added, "Nobody's watching you. And don't open your eyes."

I took another deep breath and _listened_ to the music. The tune was simple at the moment, but every once in a while there'd be a complicated part from an instrument that had a high, wailing tone. Suddenly, I was whirling, because that was what seemed appropriate. No, not appropriate–it was what the song was calling out for. My heart tried to call back out to it as I got swept up in the lilting, wild music. Remembering Rultheyni's instructions, I didn't open my eyes. 

Then a strange part came to the song, faster and wilder than any of the others. It seemed to cry out for something better than what I'd been dancing; something fiercer, something with more effort. And I knew what it was.

Miraculously, I didn't bump into anyone as I ran forward, then sprang into the air and flipped over and over, landing neatly back on my feet. _Gymnastics sure pays off,_ I reflected as the strange part ended and the song returned to its normal wildness. I whirled and spun and swooped and ducked and jumped and leapt and did all sorts of other things, all attempts to convey the way the song was striking me.

Then the rolling drumbeat came to an end, and I stopped, breathing hard. 

Finally opening my eyes, I blushed furiously. I was standing in a ring of people–and they were all staring at _me._

"You said you didn't know how to dance," Rultheyni said accusingly.

"But–but I _don't,_" I said, bewildered.

"No, you do. _That_ was dancing. Our style."

"And it was good, too," another girl piped in. "Better than any of us."

A little boy, looking about four, pushed his way to the front. "Do you dance well cuz you're a demon?"

"Nedan!" Rultheyni cried, shocked. "You'll have to excuse him, Sakura. He has no manners, as he just displayed."

"It's okay," I said with a casual shrug. "I'm not a demon. I was just doing what the song told me to."

"Oh." He put his thumb in his mouth and toddled off.

"I'm sorry," a tall girl said, ashamed. "Izden's been telling everyone that, but we all know it's wrong. But where did you learn to dance like that? It was amazing."

I found myself explaining about gymnastics and the dance class I'd taken. Some of the moves I'd learned just seemed to translate into the music, and so I'd used them.

The ice was broken after that. To them, I became just another dancer, albeit a talented one, and song after song was played. There was nothing more than the fists pounding the drums and my bare feet pounding the dirt. It was missing something, thoughIt occurred to me that I hadn't seen Syaoran anywhere. I sighed, spying him sitting all alone, and skipped over. "Hey!"

He looked up. "Oh, hi." Looking away, he added, "Nice dancing."

I blushed. "Thanks." _He needs something to do_ "Speaking of which, why aren't you out here?"

"Me?" He raised an eyebrow. "I don't dance."

"Oh, sure you do." I seized his wrist and tugged fruitlessly. "Come on, dance with me!" 

"It is a weak man that lets himself be ordered around by a female," a familiar voice said coldly.

I turned and glared at Izden, ready to slap him. _Who knows, it might knock some sense into his empty head._ "It's a stupid one that insults a woman to her face," I retorted just as icily. 

His eyes flashed. "You do not belong here, demon! Go back to your Hell!"

Syaoran stood up, looking ready to kill. "She hasn't done anything to you," he said, his voice low and dangerous, anger making his eyes snap.

"She is here." Izden crossed his arms. "And that is insult enough. All females are weak. That one should demand hospitality from the chief only shows her true nature: a grasping, lowly whore who'll do anything–or sell anything, including her honor–to achieve her ends."

That last sentence was said loudly, and all the conversation around us came to a halt, the people turning to look at the confrontation. Syaoran started to lunge at him, but I caught him by the arm. "It's between me and him," I hissed. 

"And I'm supposed to just sit here and let him insult you?" he demanded.

"No, you're supposed to sit here and watch as I kick his ass," I said grimly. "If you fight him, it'll only prove what he's saying–that I'm too weak to defend myself."

"But–" he broke off, looking at me with worry in his eyes. "You could get hurt."

"I'll live," I reassured him. "Besides, if he tries to go too far, we've still got magic and I can hold him off. And I've still got these–" I wiggled a wing "–so I can get away from him for a minute, at least."

"But still" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking really cute that way. 

"Will one of you demons fight me?" Izden asked rudely. "Or will you leave this village, hell-whore?"

That settled it. I drew my glaive, my fist trembling in anger. "Be careful," Syaoran said, frustration plain in his face.

I smiled reassuringly. "I will."

"Look out!" Someone yelled. I caught sight of the spear swinging towards me and dodged, flapping my wings to get leverage. 

"Prepare to die," he snarled, sounding like something from a bad video game. I didn't respond, too busy taking his measure. He was bigger and stronger, but not as fast as I was. He was also angry and overconfident, which meant he was going to make mistakes. I didn't attack, letting him come to me instead.

He came, and hard. My glaive met his with a ring and I slid away, moving quickly. Reversing it, I thrust the butt of the long staff at his stomach and he dodged, but only barely. There was a clack as he blocked my high strike and backed away, frantically insulting my looks, my heritage, my mother, and more. I barely listened, forcing him further and further back. 

Suddenly, I stumbled and he got in a strike. The tip of his blade sliced barely into my cheek, a bare inch underneath my eye, and I took a step back. He'd drawn the first blood, and so he'd won. _At least I gave him a run for his money._

His eyes were wild as he charged at me, razor-sharp spearhead aimed at my heart. Shocked, I hastily sidestepped him. The tip bit deep into my left upper arm and I grimaced but ignored the long gash. Gritting my teeth, I tightened my grip on the glaive and took to the air, giving myself a chance to adjust. Blood dripped onto the ground; I was losing a lot from the arm wound, and fast. That wasn't good–I'd have to end this quickly.

Syaoran drew his sword, looking furious, but I stopped him with a look as Izden rose, wings fanning the air. I narrowed my gaze, now truly angry. Not only was he being sexist, but he was taking this too far. It hadn't been all that serious for me until now.

__

I think Umi's gonna be proud of me, I thought grimly, setting myself for an attack. _If I'm not careful, I'll get stuck in Hell-Bitch mode._ Izden needed to get his head pulled out of his ass, and it looked like I was going to be the one to do it for him.

I surprised him by swiftly coming at him, swinging the glaive in a wide, sweeping arc. It ripped a neat slash across his robe as he hurriedly dodged and I raised the long-bladed spear for another strike, purposely letting my motions show I'd do that. 

He blocked it as it came down, and, with a twist, I slid it under his spear and yanked it out of his grasp. It fell to the ground and landed with a thud. I knew my eyes were cold as the glaive darted up, the cold blade rising to press barely into his throat. A thin line of red appeared, but no more–I wasn't going to kill him, even though he'd tried to kill me. He was stupid; I wasn't. 

"I wouldn't recommend trying to kill your next opponent," I said icily. "They may not be as forgiving as I am." Lowering the glaive and returning it to the glove gem, I landed on the ground and walked away. 

"Sakura!" Syaoran caught me by the shoulders, careful not to jostle the gash in my arm. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," I said heavily. That fight had taken more out of me than I'd expected. "Just a little tired."

"What about this?" he asked, gently brushing the shallow cut on my face with careful fingers. 

"J-just a scratch," I stammered, heat coming to my face.

"Hey, there's the warrior princess!" Rultheyni said happily, walking up. "Congrat–" she gripped my upper arm and broke off as I gasped in sudden pain. I'd forgotten about it. "Oh my gosh!" she gasped. "Sakura, I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," I assured her dizzily. There was a roaring in my ears as my knees buckled under me.

"Sakura!"

"I think she's lost a little too much blood"

The voices faded from my ears as everything dissolved for the fourth time that day. 

When I woke up a few minutes later, my arm was being tightly bound up. I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut against the fierce ache radiating from the deep gash.

Something cool and smooth numbed the pain over my arms. I forced myself to open my eyes and saw Syaoran glowing gold, his hand suspended over the bandage, his brow furrowed in concentration. After a minute, the flicker died and he said, "I can't heal it, but I can take some of the pain off."

"Thanks," I said gratefully.

"Demon!"

Everyone turned to look at Izden. His eyes were wide and gleaming feverishly as he screamed, "Hell-whore!"

"What now?" I sighed.

"You cheated!" he accused, sweat making his face shine. "You used your demon magic!"

"No, I–" 

He didn't even listen to what I was saying. I broke off as he charged at me again, spear raised. He was so close; I didn't have time to draw my glaive and defend myself; and I seriously doubted I was in any shape to.

In short, I was going to die.

Firelight danced eerily over his crazed face as he sprinted nearer, and I could see every ounce of insanity in his dark eyes.

A golden flash stopped him, and he stared at the tip of the broadsword pointing at his throat. Syaoran stood in front of me, his sword aimed at Izden. 

"She hasn't done anything wrong," he said harshly. "If anyone's the demon, it's you. Touch one hair on her head and I swear I'll kill you."

I watched, dazed, as Gaindel strode forward. "Go," he ordered, his face hard. "Leave us, Izden, and never come back. You have shamed our village."

He looked around frantically for support, but met only stony faces. "I'll get you back!" he yelled in a strangled voice. "You'll pay for this, you'll see!"

__

"Leave." I had never heard a voice so cold as Gaindel looked down on the crazy-eyed youth. With one more sullen glare, Izden strode away.

As soon as he was out of sight, Rultheyni jumped up, cheering. "YES!!!!!!!"

My wound had completely healed in the morning, when we set off. It was because of my magic–that much I knew.

The question was if it would help me heal in the Forest of Silence. _I can't worry about that right now,_ I told myself. _What matters is getting through this, and fast._

We bid farewell to the Eltayzin, then stepped across the boundary of the forest.

And I knew we had, because the tingle of my magic was gone. And it would stay that way until we were out.

I squared my shoulders and said, "Let's go. The sooner we're out of here, the better."

Syaoran nodded, and a light shot from Rokona's forehead, pointing north. With more than a few misgivings, we set off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alright! They're in the Forest of Silence! Now what's going to happen?

Only time will tell.


	5. Forests and Fountains and Bandits, Oh My...

Stone and Starfire

Stone and Starfire

Chapter Four: Forests and Fountains and Bandits, Oh My!

As I said in the first chapter: Screw the litany; let's just get the chapter going. I don't own this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

__

Shuff. Shuff. Shuff.

That was the only noise heard as Syaoran and I trudged through the Forest of Silence. _I can't believe it's going to take three days to get through,_ I thought unhappily. _This is really, really boring_

Upon reflection now, I realize that we were having more than a fair share of good luck. Three hours, and no monsters or bandits; only walking, walking, and more walking.

Of course, that was about to change.

__

Shwip!

There was a thud as an arrow burrowed itself into the ground at my feet. Another fell, and another–but they weren't aimed at me. 

"Don't touch the girl!" a man yelled as the robbers swarmed up and surrounded us. "Or at least, don't damage er! She's gon' be fun for later!"

__

Fun?! Oh my god

I yanked my glaive out as Syaoran drew his sword and we went back-to-back. "Don't let them separate us," he hissed, and I nodded emphatically.

__

Now would be a time when I could really use my magic

I cut down one bandit, then knocked away the cutlass another one was wielding and hit him over the head. He dropped like a stone as yells from behind me said Syaoran was more than holding his own. 

A glint in the trees caught my eye and I looked up in time to see an archer draw his arrow back. It was trained on Syaoran.

"Look out!" I threw myself in front of him and the arrow burrowed into my unprotected collarbone with a sickening thunk. I gritted my teeth, feeling the blood drain from my face, but switched the glaive to my left hand and continued fighting. In a minute, all the bandits were either retreating or dead. Once I was sure they were gone, I leaned against a tree trunk for support, dizziness washing over me. My shoulder was burning like the arrow in it was made of red-hot iron.

"Sakura!" Syaoran caught me as I started to lose consciousness and slide down the trunk, the rough bark scraping my bare skin. Wordlessly, he looked at the wound. It was bleeding heavily, and I knew we had to get the arrow out fast. Twisting my head carefully, I saw with more than a touch of nausea that the head had cleared my shoulder.

I knew what had to be done. "Pull it out," I whispered through tightly-clenched teeth.

He looked up, startled. "What?!"

"Cut off the feathers," I said haltingly, "and pull it through."

"But–"

"Just _do_ it, Syaoran!" I gasped, sweat breaking out on my face. "We can't leave it in, and you can't pull it back out!"

He opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again, and I could se that he knew I was right. Grimly pulling out a knife, he cut away the fletching and as much of the shaft as he could, and I shut my eyes, feeling his fingers grasp the arrowhead. Then it was swiftly pulled out, and blackness rushed up to swallow me even further

When I woke up, my shoulder was aching fiercely, but it wasn't as bad as when I'd fainted. Everything was a dizzy haze, so I just went back to sleep again.

Feverish nightmares plagued me for the next few days as I drifted in and out of consciousness. Every once in a while, I'd see Syaoran's face as he helped me drink something, but I wasn't sure if it was dream or reality. My collarbone was always a hot ache that never left me, asleep or no, and I was always caught between reality and imagination. No, for me there _wasn't_ a reality; it was all just one hazy, nightmarish dream after another.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran

I watched Sakura as she slept. I'd done the best I could, but she had still taken wound fever and it didn't look like she was holding up too well.

"No!" She sat bolt upright, shaking her head violently. "You can't! You can't!" Gasping, she braced her shoulder, then fell back again. 

"It's okay," I said softly, wiping some of the perspiration from her forehead as she flinched in her dreams and slept uneasily once more. 

"Pu." Rokona hopped onto her pillow and stared sadly at Sakura. I'd already asked if there was anything she could do, but Rokona had answered that even her magic didn't work in the Forest of Silence, except for the guiding spell.

Sakura swiped at something with her good arm, nearly clocking me. "Leave me alone!" she cried, her face twisted in fear.

"Sakura, It's okay. I'm here."

"What?" She opened glassy eyes and looked dizzily at me. "Go away, Touya. I don't want to go to school."

"You need to drink something," I said firmly. It was true–the fever was drying her up. I held a cup of water to her chapped lips and she took a few sips, then knocked it away. 

"Touya, leave me alone!" She turned her face to the side, falling back to sleep.

I sat back with a worried sigh. In three days, she hadn't gotten any worse–but she hadn't gotten any better, either.

"I didn't do it!" She sat up and seized my shirt, yanking me closer until my face was a few inches from hers, eyes wide and unseeing. "I didn't do it, I swear! It was the one-armed midget!"

"Sakura, calm down."

"I DIDN'T DO IT!" She shrieked deliriously. "No! Stay away from me!" She screamed, shielding herself from an invisible attacker, and my heart went into my throat. 

"Sakura, it's okay," I said softly, easing her back down. "It's okay."

"No it isn't! Trinity took the red pill, she did! And Neo followed the white rabbit!" [AN: I know, I've been using stuff from the Matrix lately, but it's _such_ a good movie]

__

What is she talking about?

"DO YOU KNOW THE MUFFIN MAN?!" she demanded. "DO YOU?! THE ONE ON DRURY LANE?!"

"Sakura, you need to relax." I tried to get her to lay back down, but she only went crazier.

"HARASSMENT! I'M GONNA SUE!!!!"

"Sakura–"

"They're after me, you know," she said psychotically, her eye twitching, the feverish gleam in it incredibly unnerving. "They're gonna get me, and my little dog, too, Dorothy. And it's cuz I'm not in Kansas anymore. Auntie Em! Auntie Em! Auntie Em!"

And then, abruptly, she broke off and fell back once more, still sleeping uneasily. 

"Pu puu pu!" Well, _that_ was interesting!'

I glared at the white puffball. "You're not helping."

"Pu." I know.'

I brushed damp hair away from Sakura's eyes as she murmured something I couldn't understand. She really needed to drink something, or she'd dry up.

I stood up and moved around, stretching to keep myself from getting stiff. Outside, a thin drizzle added a moist chill to everything. The temporary shelter I'd built was going to have to last a lot longer than I'd planned on if Sakura didn't get better soon.

The fire crackled and hissed. It was a good thing they had matches in Sendelvon, or we would have been in more trouble than I wanted to think about.

I picked up Sakura's glaive. "I'm going hunting. I'll be back soon. Don't let anything happen to her, or I'll butcher you alive." Not waiting for Rokona's reply, I strode a little ways into the forest. 

When I returned twenty minutes later, everything was fine and I'd gotten a large bird that Rokona had told me to look for because it was like a blown-up chicken. It wasn't fun, but I managed to make some broth.

"Come on, Sakura," I said firmly. "You need to drink something."

Her eyelids fluttered open, and I saw that she hadn't lost the glassy gaze. "What?"

"You need to drink."

Wordlessly, she took the cup herself and gulped down some, then drifted back to sleep. _That's a definite improvement._

Things took an upward turn. She started acting more normal and sleeping more.

But then, after sunset, it all went south.

Instead of throwing the blankets off like she had been, she started shivering. I noticed right after I'd gotten her to take some more broth. Frowning, I put another blanket over her, but she didn't seem to be any warmer. Her teeth chattered as I felt her forehead–still hot; if anything, it was warmer.

Her fever steadily rose as she seemed to get colder and colder. She started fighting me again. I was getting more and more worried by the minute. How could she be so cold when she was literally burning up? 

"Puupu puu pu! Pu, pu puu pu puu?" .oh, I know!' Rokona twitched an ear. Why don't you kiss her?'

"WHAT?!"

"Pu." She shrugged. "Puu, puu pu." Well, you want to, right?'

"That's not the point!" I growled. "I don't see how it would help her in any way!"

"Pu, pu puu pu puu?" What, you think she's going to get mono?'

My face burned, about as hot as Sakura looked. "It wouldn't help her!" I repeated.

"Pu." It works in the movies.'

"Yeah, well this _isn't_ a movie, you sick little hamster!"

There was no reply, and I settled myself by Sakura's side.

She was still shaking, and I watched her, more than worried. My father had died of a fever after taking a wound like this, and she'd lost so much blood

That reminded me; it was time to change her bandage. Kneeling down, I peeled away the banding and scowled at what I saw. It was still swollen and not healing like it should have beenthe only good thing was that the bleeding had stopped.

__

But then, dead things don't bleed

I shook my head to clear it of that thought, then cleaned and rebound it for her. I was lucky; she didn't fight me that much.

__

Sakura, you're gong to make it through this. You have to make it through this.

God, don't let her die. She's everything to me.

"Syaoran?"

My eyes snapped open as she sat up. "Syaoran?" She twisted around, her gaze missing me completely. "_Syaoran!_" 

"Sakura, I'm here." I scrambled over as she shook, still caught in nightmares. 

"No! Stop! No! Leave him alone!"

She screamed, and I caught both of her hands. "Sakura, it's okay! I'm right here!"

She opened her eyes dizzily and they focused on me for the briefest of seconds; then she burst into tears and cried on my shoulder. "It's all right," I said quietly. "It was just a nightmare."

She fell asleep again soon after, still shivering violently, and no matter how I tried, she didn't seem to get any warmer. That was scaring me. Someone with a fever as high as hers shouldn't be feeling cold

As the night wore on, she got worse and worse. The fever was leaving her vulnerable to any illnesses, and at about midnight she started coughing harshly. _This isn't good at all_

At dawn, she was really, really sick. 

Her cheeks were flushed as she stared at me, her eyes wide and glassy in a startlingly pale face. After a moment, they closed, and she started coughing in choking gasps.

"Rokona, there's gotta be _something_ we can do," I said, frustration nearly driving me insane. Sakura was _dying_ and there was nothing I could do about it.

She didn't reply, only scrunched her eyes up more. After a minute, she hopped into the forest. I started to go after her, then stopped. She was more than capable of handling herself, and I couldn't leave Sakura. _Where is she going?_ I wondered.

A moment later, someone walked out.

She was tall and slender, her waist-length, stick-straight hair falling smoothly around her in a white curtain. A pair of wings sprouted from her back, and her dark blue eyes shone with their own light. 

Somehow, I knew something important was happening, so I didn't dare move as she walked over to Sakura and knelt beside her. A strange symbol appeared on Sakura's white forehead, and a matching one appeared between the woman's eyes. There was a flash.

And then Sakura's irregular breathing settled, color returning to her face. The woman stood and walked away as I scrambled to my feet. "Wait! Who are you?"

There was no reply as her form disappeared into the forest. 

"Syaoran?"

I looked down, startled, and saw Sakura was awake. She looked tired, but the feverish cast and the odd gleam in her eyes had vanished. "Can I have something to drink?"

"Sure." I passed a cup of water to her, and she drained it, then went back to sleep. This time, though, it was apparent she was free of the nightmares.

She slept for the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon, but it was good for her, so I wasn't worried. 

I was stoking the fire at dusk when she sat up. "Where are we?"

"Still in the Forest of Silence," I replied, coughing a little. My throat was hurting some, but I hadn't noticed it until now. 

"How long has it been?"

"Since we were attacked?" At her nod, I sat back and thought for a minute, holding back a sneeze. "Five days, I think."

"Oh." She stretched her shoulder, then looked down at it in surprise. "I-it's healed!"

"Is it?" That woman must have put a serious spell on her–but how could _she_ use magic here? 

"Yeah. What happened while I was"

"Sick," I supplied. "A lot, actually." I told her everything that had happened, including the woman's appearance, and when I was done, she frowned, deep in thought. 

"Who could it be?" she mused, standing up. "And why did her magic work here?"

"No clue," I said frankly. 

"Thanks for taking care of me," she said shyly.

"No problem."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "You don't look so good."

"What?"

Scowling, she came over and put a hand on my forehead. "Syaoran!" she exclaimed. "You're burning up!"

"I am?"

"Yes! You're sick!"

"Oh."

She shook her head, exasperated. "You get into bed _this minute! _Honestly, do you _ever_ take care of yourself?"

"I'm _fine,_" I insisted. "It's probably just a little cold or something. I'll" Everything was slowly fading out

When I woke up, I saw Sakura stirring something over the fire, Rokona perched on her shoulder. _She just recovered,_ I thought guiltily. _She shouldn't be taking care of me now._ I tried to sit up. 

"Stop!" She scowled fiercely at me, looking really cute. "You need to stay in bed! Rokona says you haven't taken a single break since I got sick, and it's no surprise you passed out!"

"But–"

"But nothing! You haven't slept in _five days_ and you still want to get up?" She shook her head. "God, you're sicker than I thought!" She glared at me. "You aren't doing yourself any favors by killing yourself, you know." 

"I wasn't trying to!" I protested. "I just didn't notice or anything."

She smacked her forehead. "You need to take better care of yourself, Syaoran. And that means not starving yourself to death. And sleeping." She handed me a cup of stew. "And eating, too."

"I'm not hungry."

She raised an eyebrow. "When was the last time you actually ate something?" 

I shrugged. "I'm still not hungry."

"Yes you _are_," she said firmly. "You're stick-thin now! For the love of Mike, Syaoran, you haven't eaten in five days!"

"Pu!" Rokona hopped onto my lap as I sat up. "Puu, pu puu!"

"She's right," Sakura said sternly.

"What? I didn't understand her."

"She says that if you don't eat, you won't be able to fight."

"Pu, puu pu." Or protect Sakura.'

I blushed as Sakura asked, "What did she say?"

"N-nothing important," I said quickly.

"Oh. Well, you still need to eat!" She started to scowl, then frowned, looking upset. "My cooking isn't _that_ badis it?" Tears started to well up in her eyes.

"No! No! I'm sure it's great!" _Great move, Syaoran. Why don't you just tell her she's ugly and stupid while you're at it?_

"How do you know?" she sniffed. "You haven't tried it. I know I'm not that good at cooking, but" Her mouth started quivering.

"_All right!" _I yelled. "I'll eat it!" I hurriedly gulped down the stew, which was actually really good.

"Do you want more?" she asked hopefully.

I started to say that I didn't, but took one look at her face and said, "Sure" _Spiffywhat have I gotten myself into?_

Once I'd downed another cup, she said, "Good. Now go to sleep."

"What? But–I feel much better," I lied. 

"Sleep. You need it."

"But–"

She pushed me down firmly. "Go. To. Sleep."

"Pu!" Rokona jumped onto my chest, and an indigo beam of light shot from the gem once more. Suddenly I was very tired _Miserable little rodent,_ I thought with irritation. _Her magic doesn't work here, my ass_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

__

I can't believe Syaoran didn't take a single break for five days! I glanced over at him, where he'd fallen asleep with more than a little assistance' from Rokona. "How long will it last?" I asked her, grinning. 

"Pu, puu pu, pu puu." Well, actually, I just made him _more_ tired, so he'll wake up on his own. But I'd give him aboutoh, say, sixteen hours.'

"Good." I shook my head ruefully. "He needs it."

"Pu puu, pu puu pu." Smooth moves with the stew scene, by the way. He thought you were really upset.'

I laughed, smiling. "Thanks."

Pu pu puu, puu pu?" You really love him, don't you?'

I blushed. "Yeah."

"Pu puu pu?" Why don't you tell him?'

"Because," I sighed, "he's going to end up marrying someone else. His family Elders will be choosing a wife for him, and there's nothing either of us can do about it. It's better this way, too. If I told him, it would ruin our friendship, and I don't want to lose that."

"Pu, puu pu." 

I didn't know what she had muttered. "What?"

"Pu." Nothing.' 

"Okay." I shrugged. If she wasn't going to tell me anything, I wasn't going to press her. Instead, I went over to Syaoran and felt his forehead. He was a lot sicker than he thought. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he was pale from the lack of sleep. And he hadn't eaten for five days. _How could he do this to himself?_ I wondered. _Wouldn't he get hungry?_ _Or tired? Or something–anything? It hurts to see him like this_

But he was still as handsome as ever.

And just because I was worrying about him didn't mean that my mind was going to let me forget that. 

__

Sleep well, Syaoran, I wished silently, smoothing his hair as Rokona bounded off into the forest, chasing a moth. _This might be the last time I ever get to do this_ Greatly daring and heartsore inside, I bent down and kissed him, then went over to the other side of the fire, my face hot. _You have your life to lead, and II have mine._

Life was so unfair. It was so right to me for us to be together, but why were we destined to be apart?

Why would we have to live like this; me never being able to tell him I loved him and him never, ever knowing? Why?

__

Why? I screamed inside at the sky. _Why can I never tell him? I love him and I want him to know! Why does it have to be this way? WHY?!_

There was no reply. A tear trickled down my cheek, but I wiped it away and stared into the dancing flames. 

"Hello, Sakura."

"What?!" I jumped out of my skin at the cold voice ringing in my ears. "Who said that?"

"I did."

I looked around, but saw no one. "Where are you?" I called, my voice trembling.

"I'm inside of you, Sakura. I'm your darkness."

"My what?"

"Your darkness," the voice cooed. "Your evil."  
"Evil?!" I whispered, appalled. "I'm not evil!"

"Oh, yes you are. I wouldn't be here if you didn't have evil within you."

"No!"

"What's more, Sakura, I'm big. You have a lot of evil in you."

I shook my head violently, all too aware of the shadowy sliminess in the back of my mind. "That can't be! I'm not evil!"

"You are. Don't fight it; just give in."

"I won't! I don't believe you!"

"You want proof?" Something came over me, forcing me to draw my glaive and stand up. My feet carried me closer to Syaoran. "You're evil, Sakura."

My eyes widened in horror, and I strained against the control of the evil. "Leave him alone!" I gasped. "No!"

"See how easy it is, though?" the voice asked as it let me go. "I heard you and all your troubles, dear girl. Think about it. One strike, and both your problems and his are over. He won't ever have to marry a stranger, and you won't ever have to worry about him again. Both of you will be happy."

"What are you saying?"

"If you killed him, he would be waiting for you in heaven," the voice said temptingly. "You wouldn't have to go through losing him to someone else. He'll be yours forever, and you could be together when you die."

"No," I said, my voice wavering. "That isn't right. I won't do it."

"What kind of life can he have?" it asked. "If you do it now, you'll put him out of his misery. He'll never be in pain again."

"PU!"

Rokona jumped onto my shoulder and started yanking my hair, squealing. "PU! PU! PUUUUU!"

I seemed to break free of a sort of trance. "No! Get out!" I sank to the ground, trembling violently and clutching my head. 

"Just think about it, my dear."

"GET OUT!" I screamed.

"I can't leave you, Sakura. I'm part of you."

"No you aren't! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Yin and yang, Sakura. No light without darkness."

"NO!"

"I'm _inside_ of you. I can't go away."

"_GET OUT!_" I rocked back and forth, shaking my head like if I shook it hard enough the voice would fall out. "_GET OUT!"_

"I'm always with you" the voice faded away and I straightened, weak with revulsion. _I can't be evil! I can't!_

"I can't be evil," I whispered to myself. "I can't be."

"Pu" Rokona said sadly.

I looked down at her. "What?"

"Pu?"

"No, let me understand you."

"Pu! Pu, pu puu!"

My eyes widened. "I can't understand you–but–why?"

"Because you're evil," the voice said suddenly. 

I screamed, then yelled, "_No!_ I'm NOT EVIL!"

"Then why can't you understand her?" It retreated before I could think of a reply.

"Pu" Rokona twitched her ears worriedly as I ran a hand through my hair, feeling nauseated. _How can I be evil? It isn't possible!_

But

No! Don't think like that!

I can't be evil I have to fight it.

But how can I fight something inside of me?

I turned to Rokona. "Don't tell Syaoran," I whispered, scared. "Don't tell him. I have to figure this out on my own."

She nodded as I buried my head in my hands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night was cool and rainy as Fuu read in the library. Ever since Sakura and Syaoran had left nine days ago, she'd been looking up everything she could find on them. She wanted to know what their powers were, what their Mashin would look like, what animal forms their Spirits would take; everything like that.

And her particular interest was in the legend they would fulfill.

So far, she'd managed to find everything else. She knew that they were much more powerful than she, Umi, and Hikaru. She knew that their Escudo swords would be different from hers, Umi's, and Hikaru's. As soon as the Spirits were raised, they wouldn't be simple swords any more. They would have names. 

But she hadn't found the legend yet.

She knew Clef knew. But she wasn't going to ask him; she would find it on her own.

Her fingers traveled over the spines of a stack of books as she studied the titles. _A Historie of Cephyro;_ _The Magic Knights–Friend or Foe?; Legends of Cephiro _

Then the one on the bottom caught her eye, and she pulled it free.

It had no title; instead, the cover was stamped with a glyph. It was a circle with a slightly smaller circle inside and five smaller circles between the two. They were evenly spaced, and inside each small circle was a rune. She recognized her own in green, Umi's in blue, and Hikaru's in scarlet, but the two remaining ones were gold and silver, with the silver one at the crest of the big wheel. _Stone and Starfire,_ she realized. _Those are the runes for them._ _Sakura's must be at the top because Starfire is the complex element._

In the very center of the circle was an eight-pointed star with another circle in the center of that and another rune inside. _What could that rune in the center mean?_ she wondered. _And why eight points to the star? Eight and five aren't related._

That didn't matter; what mattered was seeing if the ancient tome held the legend. She opened the dusty leather book, holding back a sneeze from the dust, and started reading.

__

This is the recorde of the legynds of the Magyck Knyghts, young people from another wyrld with two destynies

She scanned the page, then turned it and went over the next. It was a table of contents, and she flipped to the chapter titled _Stone and Starfyre_. 

__

Stone and Starfyre are, as known, the moste powyrful and potent of the Fyve Elements. They possess such strengths as the Wielders of the othyr three Elements, but on a greater Magnytude. It is sayd that the Starfyre Knyght is destined to fight for and against herself; that her heart will byrn like the brightest of stars; and that she will make the greatest sacrifice of all in order to save the two wyrlds for which she fights. Whyle at first she may seem shy and retreating, it is only a mask that covers her true myght and strength. Thrice will she battle something that is not what it seems; it is unknown whether all thrice times she shall be victorious. 

The Stone Knyght is the Soulmate of the Starfyre Knyght. He is strong, like the Starfyre Knyght, and, of all the Knyghts, will mirror his element best. He is not proud; he does not boast; he has a will of steel and a heart of fyre. In one thyng only is he not like his Element: he is not hard. In time, he accepts things many would not. Unlike Stone, his heart is neither hard nor cold. His Earthlie lyfe is one of hardship, though not from povertae. 

The two Knyghts of Stone and Starfyre are each a paradox of Magyck. And theyr Road is not an easie one to travyl. Of the two Legynds of Magyck Knyghts, theyrs is the moste misfortunaet.

Fuu frowned, running slim fingers over the yellowing page. _Misfortunate? What do they mean by that?_ She read on, moving a fingertip under each word to follow along out of habit. There was a light, crackling noise as it slid along the page.

And then it stopped as her green eyes widened. _No,_ she thought in horror. _That can't be true_

She swallowed hard, then shut it with a snap, tucked it under her arm, and ran out of the library, coming to a set of double doors. _It's just a book,_ she told herself. _It can't be true._

There was one way to find out.

Raising a shaking hand, she rapped sharply on the door.

"Come in."

The doors swung open and she walked inside.

"What are you doing awake at this hour, Fuu?" Clef asked. "You should–" He broke off, seeing the book in her arms. There was silence; then he asked lowly, "You found it, didn't you?"

"Is it true?" she asked hoarsely. "Will Sakura" She was unable to finish.

Clef looked away, his eyes closed in pain. "That's the only book in the library with the legend in it," he said sadly. "I know. I looked for it myself when I was younger. And I found exactly what you found."

"It's true" She sat down in the chair hard, rubbing a hand over her face. "Oh my god, it's true"

"Yes, it is," he said heavily. 

"So that's why you never told us about them," she said tonelessly a moment later. "You knew what would happen. What Sakura's going to have to do."

"Yes," he said tersely. 

"The battle with Princess Emeraude was horrible," she said slowly. "But this is worse, Clef. Why does it have to be this way?"

"I don't know," he said bluntly. "The saying is that everything happens for a reasonbut I have wondered about the legend many years, and I have yet to know why."

"But–but isn't there _anything_ we can do about it?" she cried. 

He looked up at the cloudy sky, and she knew already what he was going to say. 

"No, Fuu. It's the way it has to be."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

Like I'd known, Syaoran was a lot sicker than he'd thought. I made him stay in bed another three days until _I_ could tell he was better. According to him, he felt _fine_; he wasn't sick; we needed to keep moving; he would survive; I didn't have to do this; he said all that and a lot more. I found myself using Rokona's ability to make him tired very often in those three days, just to get him to stop protesting. One thing that was for sure, though, was that he never declined my cooking again. I made a mental note that pretending to be hurt by his refusal of something would turn it otherwise–it was something I could use in the future.

"Sakura, I feel _fine._ Can we go now?" 

"No!" I gave him a glare. Despite what he said, _I_ could tell he was still sick. "I know you aren't better yet, so stop whining and go back to sleep."

"But–"

"As I said before, but _nothing._ You need rest, and if _you_ aren't going to take care of yourself, _I_ will."

He started to say something, but broke off at the thunderous crunching noise coming from our right. I drew my glaive just as a huge, ugly monster crashed out from the forest. 

"Look out!" Syaoran yelled, jumping to his feet and yanking me away from the giant tentacle sweeping down towards me.

I gripped my glaive and tried to get a good look at the beast. One eye; it looked like a sunflower on steroids that had been shoved in a blender with an octopus and a gorilla. _One eye_ I was all too aware of Syaoran's arm still around my waist as I took aim and hurled the glaive at it. It struck the creature in the eye, and a hideous shrieking noise filled the clearing as he drew his sword and plunged it into the monster's chest. It died with a choking gasp, then turned into smoke and disappeared. 

I turned to face him, hands planted on my hips. "You weren't supposed to get out of bed!"

"What?"

"You're still sick! Back into bed, _now!_"

He rubbed his forehead wearily, muttering something in Mandarin that wasn't something I'd say at the dinner table.

"Watch your mouth, young man!"

"Yes, mother"

When Rokona thought he was better, we left again. By then, we were both feeling much better, so we got a lot of ground in. After two days of travel, we were completely out and I could feel the tingle of my magic once more. It was a relief.

What wasn't a relief was the nagging voice telling me I was evil.

I did my best to ignore it, I really did. And it wasn't always with me. 

But when it would surprise me, I would nearly be pulled in.

"Just give in, dear," it whispered one night. Syaoran had already fallen asleep on the other side of the fire. "Give in to your true side, and you won't have to fight it any more." 

"No," I said under my breath. "No."

"Come ongive in, Sakura." It paused, and then the tone changed. "If you accept me, do you know what you will have? You'll have Syaoran." It sent me _very_ graphic images of what it meant by that.

I swallowed, my face burning. _I'm fifteen!_ I reminded myself. _Fifteen! That's just wrong!_

"Is it?" the voice asked. "Is it so wrong? You want his love, don't you? Give in and you'll have it."

"I won't," I said firmly. "It isn't right. You can't force anyone into that." Besides, we were both much too young for what the voice was insinuating.

"It wouldn't be forcing him, Sakura. You would simply have him."

__

No. That can't be right.

I won't force him into loving me.

The voice retreated silently.

For the moment.

The next day, I could hardly look at him without remembering exactly what the voice had made me see and turning red, but after a while I managed to ignore it.

At about noon, we walked out of the Forest and I felt the fizz of my magic return. _Finally_ "Come on, let's fly." I reached for the pouch Rultheyni had given me, but it was gone. _I must have lost it in the fight with the bandits,_ I realized. _Well, there's still another way to skin this particular cat._ "Star Flight!" With a silver flash, we both sprouted silver wings.

"Sakura, isn't this going to wear you out?" Syaoran asked pointedly.

"Pu, pu puu." Rokona shook her head.

He shrugged. "Whatever you say. Which way's the Fountain?"

The gem glistened, then shone, and a beam of light shot out once more. I picked Rokona up, and we took off.

It took us about an hour to get to the rocky gate of the Fountain. We couldn't fit through the small crevasse of an entrance with our wings, so we landed outside and they faded away. I squeezed through, then helped Syaoran. Turning, I took a first look at our destination.

It was the strangest looking place I'd ever seen. Endless stretches of grass went on in every direction except for behind us, as far as the eye could see, and small, rocky peaks stabbed up like long teeth in random intervals. A smooth stone path led up to a round, flat tableau in the center.

There was one problem, and Syaoran stated it in one sentence.

"Where's the spring?" he asked flatly. 

"Pu!" Rokona ran up to the tableau, looking incredibly proud of herself. "Pu! Puu!"

I slowly walked up the path, looking at the tableau. A carpet of grass covered it, but why? Why was it here?

Then a hair-thin line caught my eye. Frowning, I picked up my pace and strode up to where it was hanging over the rock table. How could it just be hanging there? 

"What _is_ that?" Syaoran asked as I stared at it, leaning forward.

"I don't know," I said distractedly. Maybe if I got _on_ the table, I could get a better look at whatever it was. And maybe the heightened view would show me where the Fountain was.

I hauled myself onto the grassy top, then looked down and gasped.

"What is it?"

"That's a good question," I said, amazed. "See for yourself." I helped him up.

He took one look and said, "What the HELL?!"

"Yeah, I know!" We stared into the deep, glassy pool that hadn't been there a minute before. It was just _hanging_ there Eyes widening, I clambered back down and looked at the line, which had reappeared. "Syaoran, it's the line!"

"What?!"

"It's a two-dimensional spring," I explained, stunned. "Look." 

He jumped down and looked at it, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, that is really messed up."

"No kidding." Something occurred to me. "This is the Fountain, butwhere's the Escudo?"

"Pu!" Rokona bounced onto my shoulder, then sprang into the pool.

And didn't come back out.

"Rokona?!" I frantically scrambled back onto the plateau and peered into the depths, but there was no sight of her. "Oh my god!"

"Now what?" Syaoran asked, wide-eyed.

"I don't know!"

We stared at the pool for a few moments, and then he said slowly, "I think we're going to have to go in there."

"But how can we?" I objected. "We won't be able to breathe." 

"I don't know. But Rokona just wouldn't jump in there for no reason," he pointed out.

"I know" The truth was that I didn't want to go in there. Umi, Fuu, and Hikaru had all flinched whenever someone had said Eterna,' and they were strong women. What was it in there that was so terrible that _they_ were afraid of it? Was there any way _I_ could defeat it? 

"You can't defeat it," the voice said swiftly for my ears only. "You can't because you're evil. You can't even go in there."

I had to prove it wrong.

"Come on," I said grimly. "We've got to go in."

He blinked, surprised, but nodded. "We can jump in from one of the rocks."

We climbed up one and I stared down at the deep pool of blue. Could I even see the bottom? _That doesn't matter. I've got to go in there so I can get the Escudo and become a Magic Knight._ "On three?"

He nodded. "Onethree!" 

The last thing I saw was blue rushing up to meet me before I hit the water, and hard. There was a current, and it yanked me away from him before I could do anything. I tried to fight it and exhausted my limited supply of air. Everything was fading

When I woke up, I was alone in a dark, cool, dry place. It was almost like being in a basement. Somehow, I could see through it, but how?

And where was Syaoran?

"Syaoran?" I called. "Where are you?"

There was no reply.

__

Where is he? I wondered, scared. _Is he hurt?_ I sat up quickly, then stood. _And where am I?_

Footsteps softly came into my hearing, and I whirled around, yanking out my glaive. A dark silhouette was pacing towards me with familiar, sure strides.

Then I could make out the features on the figure, and I lowered the glaive. "There you are. Where are we?"

Syaoran smiled grimly, then pulled out his sword and swung it at me. The point came so close that it sliced away a few strands of my hair.

"Syaoran?!" I jumped back. "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer as he thrust it at me again.

__

What is going on?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran

I woke up in a dry, dark flatland. Sitting up, I immediately noticed Sakura wasn't with me. 

"Sakura?" I stood up, looking for her. "Sakura, where are you?" She didn't answer.

__

Where am I? Is she okay? What's going on? A million questions raced through my head as I studied my surroundings. 

__

Shuff. Shuff. Shuff.

I whirled around to see a slim silhouette slowly striding towards me. "Who are you?" I called. Yet again, I got no answer. Suspicious, I pulled out my sword.

Then Sakura came into view.

"Where have you been?" I asked, concerned. 

She said nothing; only blinked serenely, drew her glaive, and rushed at me.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" I hastily side-stepped her as she halted and reversed it, the blade slicing down to open a gash in my arm. _Is she under a spell?_ I wondered, gritting my teeth in pain as blood dribbled down my wrist. _Why is she attacking me?_

"Sakura, it's me!" I tried to grab her by the shoulders, but she nearly speared me and I dodged it. "I'm not your enemy!"

She raised a hand, and silver power shot from it, blasting me off my feet. _I can't fight her!_ I thought desperately. 

__

But how about defending yourself? The rational voice within me asked. 

__

I don't know "Stone Shield!" 

Golden power formed a sphere around me as I got to my feet once more. "I don't want to fight you!" I shouted. 

She didn't reply as she charged towards the shield, swinging her glaive down on it. Blade met power with a ring, and cracks raced over the shield. It shattered as she rushed in again, fiery power streaking from her palms. I was knocked flat again, my knee twisting painfully beneath me.

I saw her glaive sweeping down and ducked before it slit my throat. Instead, it grazed my forehead, then pulled back. She smiled calmly, then drove it once more towards my throat. 

I managed to knock it away with my sword, using her temporary surprise to stand. Burning magic seared at me, stinging like acid on my bare skin. I forced it away with a spell of my own, but it broke through the attack and hurtled at Sakura. She fell.

"Sakura!" Horrified, I rushed over to her. 

Her eyes were closed, but as soon as I knelt by her, they snapped open and she thrust the glaive into my shoulder. I yelled with pain as she wrenched it free, then stared at her. The longer this battle went on, the more it seemed that one of us would have to die. 

But if I had anything to say about it, it wouldn't be her, even if something had taken her over.

I looked numbly at her. Even with the fierce grin twisting her features, she was still beautiful. There was no way I could have so much as laid a finger on her.

Silver power flattened me once more, and I managed to raise myself up on one elbow, then got to my feet again. No, there was no way I was going to survive this fight with her.

"Magic Knights," a low, sweet voice said. White and blue fire appeared in front of me. "Young people from another world."

It flickered into the woman from the clearing, and I gasped, "Whoare you?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

"Syaoran, what is it?" I cried, crimson running down my temple as I stared weakly at him. "What did I do?"

He only blasted me with more power and I was sent flying once more. 

__

Thwack! 

The point of his sword buried itself into the ground a few inches from my nose. I gasped and rolled away. The gash on my thigh burned like fire as I tried to stand but couldn't. _Why is he hurting me?_

"Why?" I asked tearfully. "Why, Syaoran? Why do you hate me?"

__

WhyI've been asking that a lot lately

But it's a good question. Why do I have to fight Syaoran? Why do we have to be apart? Why can't his Elders let him marry whoever he wants?

He smiled grimly down at me, slashing a long cut in my leg. I cried in pain, trying to get away, and a throwing knife buried itself into my shoulder. 

__

Oh my godI can't fight him, I owe him too much! He's always there for me when I need him, and he didn't eat or sleep for five days straight just so he could take care of me!

And I love him

A hand locked around my throat, then hauled me up. My feet dangled helplessly, a foot away from the ground, as I choked. His cold eyes never left mine.

"Magic Knights." White and blue fire flared in front of me as I was dropped. "Young people from another world."

"What?" I wheezed, massaging my throat as Syaoran backed away. "Who are you?"

"That doesn't matter," the woman in front of me said lowly. "Magic Knights, are the ones in front of you your beloved?"

"Syaoran's my best friend!" I yelled. "He's always there for me, and I love him!"

Syaoran said nothing.

"Then," the woman said, "would they wish you to be hurt? Are they truly before you?" She dropped her voice. "Is what you see what you think it is?"

"I–" I stammered. "I–I–" 

"Think," she said mysteriously, fading away. "Then take the Escudo."

I turned to Syaoran, where he stood, smirking. "Syaoran wouldn't hurt me!" I yelled as it all fell into place. I had had to pass the test to get the Escudo. "You aren't him!" I picked up my glaive and charged at him, injuries forgotten. He dodged barely, and I whirled. "You can't ruin our friendship!" Silver filled my vision, fueled by my fury, and words rang in my mind. "SILVER NOVA!" Magic fire burned away the dark silhouette, leaving a huge, clear, shining stone hovering in the imposter's place.

__

Is this the Escudo? She had said to take itI put a hand on either side of it, and it flared. My wounds healed, and the armor morphed. This time, I actually had guards on both shoulders, which was a relief. 

Then I was rushing through water and being swept up and hurtled along once more.

I opened my eyes to find myself back-to-back with the real Syaoran–

And floating over Eterna.

"AAAAHHHHH!" I screamed, panicking. _I don't want to go back in there! I don't want to go back in there! I don't want to go back in there!_

"Pu!"

"Sakura, calm down! We aren't falling!"

"BUT WE CAN," I wailed. "I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK IN THERE! I NEARLY _DIED!_"

"Well, then, let's get away from it! Come on!" Syaoran grabbed my wrist and dragged me off, and we dropped to the ground as soon as we walked over the edge of the plateau. 

I sat down on the ground, hard. "Oh my gosh"

"Are you okay?" Syaoran asked concernedly. 

"Yeah," I said numbly. "Just a little dazed, that's all."

"No kidding," he sighed. I wanted to ask what he'd had to fight, but that might mean he would ask what _I'd_ fought, and I wasn't about to tell him.

"Okay," I said after a moment. "Let's go back."

The Escudo drained into our glove jewels, and we squeezed outside.

__

That was an interesting little episode, I thought wryly. _Goodbye, Eterna. I hope I never see you again._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, that was fun, wasn't it? Sakura went crazy, Syaoran got kissed, and something is telling Sakura that she's evil.

Yep; all in all, it's been a good chapter.


	6. Bad Things Happen

Stone and Starfire

Stone and Starfire

Chapter Five: Bad Things Happen

Okay, I have to give much of the credit for the inspiration for this chapter to the short story, The Most Dangerous Game. It's really, really creepybut, like this, I don't own it. All I own are some cool pictures.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You're evil."

__

No I'm not, I told the voice inside me angrily.

"Yes you are. You'll see."

I trudged on, desolate. _Is it possible? Could I be evil?_

I don't know.

"Are you okay?"

I glanced up to see Syaoran looking at me with concern. 

"Oh–yeah," I said quickly. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Not much." I shrugged evasively. "Just stuff."

"Oh." 

I didn't want to look at him, because then he might see through me and know that I was evil.

I did want to look at him because I was in love with him.

__

What would happen if I told him? I wondered. _What if he loves me back?_

Ha. Like that would ever happen.

I had about as much of a chance of him loving me back as catching a star. 

But I could still dream.

The day passed fairly normally. We walked, fought a monster every once in a while, walked, ate, walked, walked, and walked. As soon as it was too dark to go on without tripping over every rock or stump or root, we stopped for the night.

The whole time I was ignoring the voice again.

It wouldn't leave me alone. Ever. And each time it started at me again, I felt nauseated, but I wouldn't tell anyone about it–and especially Syaoran.

For one thing, he might not believe me. I mean, so far it seemed only I could hear the voice. What were the odds he'd believe me when I told him I was hearing voices that nobody else heard? Particularly ones telling me I was evil? It would be awful if he didn't believe me.

But it would be worse if he did.

What if I told him and he thought I really was evil?

What would I do then?

__

I don't know, I thought angrily. _I don't know why it has to be the way it is! I don't know why I'm the one that has to be the Starfire Knight! I don't know!_

I bit back a scream of anguish. _Why is this happening to me?_

I DON'T KNOW!

Oh my god, I'm going insane

I watched Syaoran as he slept by the fire. My heart ached–no, it was being torn apart. I loved him so much, but if I ever told him, we couldn't really be friends. And even if he felt the same way, which I doubted, we couldn't be together. His family would want him back, and he would be married off to some Clan girl.

Turning my face away, I cried; cried for myself; cried for homesickness; but most of all, I cried for him. 

It was soterrible. That was what it was. Terrible.

"And you know why? Because you're evil."

I buried my face in my arms, trying to sleep.

It was a cold, foggy morning that greeted me. I got up, went to the river and washed my face and hair as best as I could–there hadn't exactly been many bath opportunities along the trip, and it was too cold to take one now. I hadn't slept well at all, and everything was feeling like a giant weight on my back. If only I could get away from it allbe free and happy and _out_ of Sendelvon.

But it wouldn't happen any time soon.

I went back and started making breakfast.

It was an uneventful day on the trail. Until the bandits attacked.

Unlike the former band that had attacked us, this one outnumbered us ten to one. 

We tried to hold them off. We really did.

"Get the girl!" someone yelled. 

I shuddered, fighting with renewed fury.

But then Syaoran and I were split up. And before I knew it, a pair of burly arms were wrapping around me, one under each arm. 

I struggled wildly, biting and scratching like an animal.

"_Sakura!"_ Syaoran tried to fight his way over to me.

"Look out!" I screamed as a man came at him from behind. 

He whirled just as another bandit hit him over the head with something, and dropped.

I nearly threw up. "SYAORAN!" 

__

Oh my god

Is he alive?

Syaoran no, he can't be dead! He can't!

If only I had my magic

They had to knock me out to tie me up. When I came around, it was sunset.

"The girl's awake!" someone crowed drunkenly. 

I blinked, everything around me a bleary haze. My vision cleared and I made out a grove with a bonfire blazing in the center and the men lounging around it, taking deep swigs from wine skins and laughing uproariously. I swallowed.

"Alright!" someone bellowed. "It's time to have some fun!"

He stood up, moving towards me, but a whack in the stomach made him halt. "She's for _tonight,_" the man who I presumed was the leader said firmly. "_That's_ when you kin get all your kinks out."

I would have said something nasty, but the gag in my mouth kept me from doing so. _How am I going to get out of this?_ I wondered hopelessly. 

__

Worse, what if I can't?

The very thought was revolting.

But it seemed that it might happen

As the hours dragged on and the light faded, I grew more and more terrified. There was no way of telling where I was, and no way to know if Syaoran was alive.

"We'll have our fun, and then we'll kill her," the leader said casually. "But I got the first go with her."

__

Great, they've even got a batting order, I thought in near-hysterics. _And I'm going to die after they're done with me._

"Hey, look at er," one grunted. "'Er nose's sticking up, like she's sum kinda queen."

"Naw, a _princess,_" another corrected. "How ya doin', Princess? Wanna see how well I fit in your throne?"

I closed my eyes, terrified, and strained at the ropes. They'd tied me to the pole so that I couldn't reach my glove and draw the glaive, or else I would have cut free hours ago. 

"Hey, it's _night,_" someone yelled. "Can we start now? I wanna have some fun with her highness!"

The leader squinted up at the sky, then nodded. "Let's get er in a better spot, though. 't'wouldn't be good to do it with her like that."

My heart pounded in sheer horror and revulsion and fear as they untied the ropes binding me to the pole, although not the ones holding back my hands, and shoved me onto the ground. My hands were swiftly cut apart, then tied to stakes three feet apart. The same was done with my ankles, although I didn't make it easy on them at all.

Finally, they were done. They stood back for a minute; then the leader, who had stood back and watched, started walking forward, loosening his breeches. I nearly threw up.

__

I'm so sorry, everyone. I'm sorry I never told you how much you mean to me.

I'm so sorry I got us into this mess, Syaoran. I'm sorry I never told you how much I love you.

God, I don't want to die.

I'm so sorry, everyone.

I can't believe my life's going to end like this. There was so much I wanted to doI wanted to let Syaoran know

I wanted to scream, but I couldn't through the gag.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran

__

Bzzzzzzz.

I flinched. What on earth was right in front of my face? 

The scent of grass and damp ground filled my nose as I slowly opened my eyes. A faint clinking noise came from a few feet away, and I half-closed them again. A pair of knees pressed down the grass nearby, a sack clicking ever so often beside them. 

All of a sudden, I remembered the battle. 

Sakura.

I saw them take her away, her eyes wide and frightened.

__

"Get the girl!"

"Don't hurt the girl! She'll be fun for later!"

Oh my god.

Bzzzzzz.

The beetle crept up my arm, which was currently weighed down by my head. My hand closed around the hilt of the sword.

I sprang to my feet and saw the owner of the knees and the sack was a thin, ratty man with nervous, greedy eyes and a pinched face. I recognized him as one of the bandits.

Yanking him up off his feet, I slammed him into a tree trunk, my sword just barely pressed into his throat. 

"Where are the rest of them?" I demanded, shouting. "_Where did they take her?"_

"I–I don't know–"

"Wrong answer," I growled. A thin red line of blood appeared along the sword's edge, and he whimpered.

"North," he gasped. "North."

"Pu!"

"Rokona!" I dropped him and turned, picking her up. "They've got Sakura!"

"Pu!" Dark blue light shot in a beam through the forest. "Pu! Pu puu!" They've got a three-hour head start! Hurry!'

I ran through sheer forest, bushes tearing at my clothes and whipping my face. Rokona huddled in my arms as I glanced at the sky overhead. It was about two hours after sunset. 

I ran on and on, following the trail of light. Fifteen minutes passed as I was grateful for the Clan's training–they had made sure I could run for at least five hours straight as soon as I had gotten back.

__

Hold on, Sakura.

God, don't let anything happen to her. Please. She doesn't deserve it.

Loud, raucous laughter broke the silence ahead. I saw flickering firelight through the trees, and set Rokona down. "Stay here," I ordered. 

"Pu." She nodded as I swiftly crept forward. 

There was Sakura–gagged and bound; her eyes were squeezed shut and she was shaking. My heart leapt into my throat, but she looked relatively unharmed.

Then I saw one of them coming closer to her, loosening his pants.

And I just about snapped.

Something changed in the air as I threw myself out in front of her, my sword pointed at them, my eyes cold and hot at the same time. _"Get away from her,"_ I snarled, my voice shaking with rage. 

Then I realized the tingle of magic was back in me.

"Gold Avalanche!" Power rushed down, crackling, and burned away the bandits. I swallowed, realizing I'd just killed twenty or more men, but there were more important things right now. 

I knelt by Sakura, untying the gag and cutting away the ropes binding her. The whole time, she stayed frighteningly silent, but after what had nearly happened to her, I wasn't surprised.

She sat up after a moment, still mute. Then a tear quietly rolled down her cheek, leaving a lighter streak down her dusty face. Another one followed, then a flood of tears, as I gathered her into my arms and she buried her head in my shoulder. 

__

Why do these things have to happen to her? I wondered angrily. _Why her?_

There wasn't an answer.

There never was.

So I always had to content myself with comforting her as best I could.

Dawn found us together. Sakura was still sleeping in my arms when I woke up, but I didn't mind at all. What I did mind was that my back was cramping from leaning against solid rock all night. But it was worth it to have Sakura in my arms; that was for sure. 

I looked down at her. She'd fallen asleep fairly soon after I'd gotten rid of the bandits, but I wasn't sure if she was really okay. Or if she'd ever be, after something like that. _I want to get out of here,_ I thought angrily. _Neither of us should have been sucked into this._

She sighed, wriggling a little. _God, she's so beautiful._ How was it that she was so strong? I'd never known anyone like her, ever.

My head bowed over her, my nose just brushing the top of her head. And it was so right.

But it wouldn't last. The minute I got back, the Clan would haul me back to Hong Kong and get me engaged to some girl I'd never met and probably wouldn't like, because that was the kind of luck I seemed to have.

I didn't want to change anything; I wanted things to stay like this forever. I wanted to just be with her like this until the end of time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

I woke up in Syaoran's arms, which was exactly where I wanted to be. I still couldn't believe it. Not only was I alive, but he'd saved me before anything awful had happened. 

I looked up at him–still asleep, but _god_ he was handsome. 

I rested my head on his shoulder, enjoying it while it lasted. 

It was odd; you would have thought I would still be scared and traumatized. Which I was–it had been an awful experience, and it hurt me inside, but they were just wounds and they would heal. And being with Syaoran did more than help those wounds. I knew he'd always protect me; he'd always be there for me. He always was.

And I loved him.

"And you're evil."

__

Oh nonot again

I shut my eyes tight and tried to go back to sleep.

When I woke up again, he was shaking me lightly. I blinked as the world came back into focus, then sat up.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

I stared at the ground. "Yeah."

"We should get going." He stood, then helped me up.

"Pu! Pu puu, puu pu!" Rokona bounced onto my shoulder, and I realized my magic was back. 

"We can fly," I said quickly. "It'll be faster that way."

"As long as you're up to it." Syaoran looked away.

"Sure." I shrugged and did the spell, and we took off, Rokona perched on my head.

It took us another three days to get all the way back to the palace. We decidedly stayed away from the inns, both of us remembering what had happened the last time we stayed in one.

__

Not that I wouldn't mind kissing him again

"Sakura! Syaoran!"

Hikaru rushed out to greet us as we landed in front of the palace. "It took you guys so long!"

"Welcome back," Umi added. "How did it go?"

"Umm" We exchanged glances.

"They probably want to go inside and have a bath, you guys," Fuu said quickly. "After all, it's been about fourteen days since they left."

"Two weeks already?" I asked. "Jeez, time really flies."

"Yeah." Umi shrugged, then seized my wrist and hauled me inside as Ferio did the same for Syaoran. "Come on, you reek."

"Umi!" Presea admonished. "That's not very nice!"

"It's okay," I laughed. "She's right."

"You're evil."

I ignored the voice again and allowed myself to be dragged down the hall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fuu watched her friends take Sakura away with bittersweet amusement. _Poor SakuraIt's so sad this happiness won't last._

"It's hard, isn't it?" Clef asked from behind her, lowering his voice so only she heard.

"Yes" she sighed. "If you watched her, you'd never guess, would you?"

"No," he said sadly. "You wouldn't."

They stared after the retreating forms of the two young Magic Knights for a little while, and she broke the silence. "It will be hard on Syaoran."

"Of course. They're Soulmates." He looked away.

"Is there any way Chaos could be defeated without"

"No. It's destiny."

She had known that. But she had still had to ask.

"Can I tell her?" she asked softly.

"No." He closed his eyes in pain. "She can't know. Neither of them can. Or"

He trailed off, and she knew what he meant.

__

Why does it have to be this way?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran

"So how far did you go?" Geo asked wickedly as the guys hauled me off down the hall. "Third base, or all the way home?"

"_What?!" _I nearly yelled.

"You know what he's talking about!" Zazu said with an evil grin. "Did you"

"_Nothing _happened!" I shouted, glad the girls were out of hearing. "_Nothing!"_

"Oh, he scored with her." Geo clapped me on the back, nearly sending me flying. "Crazy naked sex, all the way." 

"NO!"

"You guys, I think you're forgetting the fact that he's _fifteen,"_ Ferio said pointedly. 

"And more than a little young for that," Lantis added sternly. "You _didn't_ do anything with her, right?"

"No!" My face was as red as it could get. "Nothing happened! We're _friends,_ dammit!"

Zazu coughed, and it sounded oddly like _"Liar!"_

"I'm not lying!" I insisted.

"Sure," Geo said. "Admit it. You want her. You need her. Oh baby, oh baby."

I would have tackled him, but he was about a foot taller than I was, so that wouldn't have been too intelligent. "You're sick," I muttered sullenly instead.

"No arguments there," Eagle said dryly.

"Hey, whose side are you on?" Geo demanded.

"I'm a neutral," he said blandly. 

"Hey, we're here." I was shoved into the bathroom, and a moment later a wad of clothes hit me in the face. "Have fun. Maybe we'll send Sakura in here just to–um–survey your assets."

"You need help!" I yelled, beet red, as the door slammed shut. "You need professional, psychological help, you pedophile!"

There was no response, but I wasn't sure I wanted to hear one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

"So, how far did you go?" asked Caldina, grinning.

"_What?!" _I yelped.

"You know what I'm talking about! Did you go all the way, or just stick with making out?"

"Nothing happened!" I yelled. _"Nothing!"_

"Oh ho ho," she chuckled, sounding uncannily like Tomoyo. "Way to go, Sakura! Are you pregnant or did you guys use–"

"NOTHING HAPPENED! I'M CLEAN!" I shouted, blushing hotly.

"Actually, you aren't, because if you were then you wouldn't need a bath as much as you so obviously do," Umi said wryly. "Clean in _that_ sense, that is." 

I sighed. "Can we just talk about something else?_ Anything_ else?"

"Like what?"

"Like how I'm going to turn that Escudo into some kickass weapons," Presea said cheerfully as Fuu caught up with them from behind. "And they're going to evolve too, just like your armors."

"Sweet." 

"We're here!" Hikaru handed me a stack of clothes and gestured towards an open door. "Enjoy yourself."

"Maybe we'll send Syaoran in there," Caldina called. "You wouldn't mind, would you?"

"You need help!" I yelled. "You're a pedophile! A pedophile, dammit!"

There was no response as they walked away and I hurried inside, more than ready for a wash.

It was the next morning when Presea said she was ready to make the swords. We came down to the Atrium, and she was waiting, clothed in a loose, floaty dress. The Escudo plunged out from the glove gems and hovered in front of her, and she held her arms out, looking like she was trying to hold up the sky. The minerals started sparkling, then glowing, then shone brilliantly as there was a burning flash. When the spots cleared from my eyes, two swords hung in the air, one gold and one silver. The gold one had a red jewel set into the hilt, and mine had twin blue and green ones. I knew why–Syaoran's element, Stone, was matched with Fire, and mine was matched with Wind and Water. 

They hung in the air for a moment, mine long and slender, his wide and slightly shorter. Then silver flashed into my hands and gold into his, and I was holding my new Escudo, evolving sword. 

"Just because you have a sword doesn't mean you aren't evil"

I ignored the voice.

It was noon when Rokona produced another of those flying soup-bowl things for us to ride in, indicating it was time to set off once more. We got some more provisions, then got in once more.

This time, however, we headed in a different direction. I could just make out glistening water through the clouds when there was a sharp lurch, and we were plummeting down. Rokona squealed in distress, and I realized in horror that, unlike before, this was not in her game plan.

"Star Flight!" I caught her as Syaoran stopped falling, using his new wings also, and we slowed down. Rokona was lying limp in my arms, her eyes closed–she was unconscious. Below us was open seaexcept for that tiny dot, far below "Let's try to make it to that island!" I yelled, and he nodded. We coasted down, and it grew under our feet. After some mental calculation, I figured it was about five miles wide and seven miles long. Soon, the roaring of the ocean grinding on the rocks could be heard, and I made out a large building perched on a cliff–no, not a building, a mansion. Maybe we could stay until Rokona was better. 

We landed in front of the mansion and stared at it in awe. The palace had been bigger, but not by much. _I wonder who lives here_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The man stared into the diamond orb, fascinated. His master had told him to watch the Starfire Knight, and that he had done. To tell her incessantly that she was evil was certainly having a negative affect on her, but that was Elan's duty, not his. What a shame that it wasn't his, thoughespecially when she didn't dare tell anyone else

He frowned uncertainly at the image in the sphere. Chaos had said she would be strong, which she most positively was; he hadn't said she would be so beautiful.

And he hadn't told him to do anything other watch her, so that meant there wasn't anything else he _couldn't_ do

He straightened, feeling her and–and the _boy_–flying near his mansion. The boy was more than his share of problems. Chaos wouldn't mind if he defeated both of the Magic Knights, would he? Nor would he mind if he kept oneWith a twist of power, he knocked out the little rabbit-creature and eliminated the flying creation they rose in. The Starfire Knight could get them safely to the island; he knew she'd take this one because it was the only one for miles around

__

Except for the Shrines. With any luck, they'll never reach them...

But the boy. He would be a problem. 

After all, she loved him.

But that wouldn't last for too long. She would be the finest prize he had ever caught. 

And the boywould join the rest of his collection.

He strode out of the hall as the _thud_ rang through the house and he winced. That knocker never lost its dull, creaking, thumping noise, no matter how many times it had been used Kort was opening the door grimly as he descended the stairs. "Welcome! I am Major Fetarro, lord of this island. What brings you to my humble abode, Magic Knights?"

The pair blinked at him in surprise, and the girl said, "We were traveling, but the spell failed and your island was the only one in sight. I'm Sakura and this is Syaoran."

He bowed graciously and took her slender hand, kissing it. She obviously was not used to such treatment, and the boy was obviously not used to her receiving it. Fetarro could all but taste the bitter resentment and dislike radiating from him. "I would be honored if you would be my guests," he said smoothly. "I live alone but for Kort, my butler, and while it is peaceful, it is also lonely. We always appreciate news from the outside world."

Sakura and Syaoran traded looks, and he could tell that Sakura wanted to stay. When the boy raised his eyebrows, she glanced pointedly down at the unconscious creature in her arms and he sighed, then nodded slightly. 

"We'd love to," she said swiftly. 

"Wonderful. Kort will show you to your rooms, and then we will have luncheon." He disappeared down the hall, hiding a triumphant smirk. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

"So, Major, what do you do here?" I asked over a bowl of thick, rich stew. 

We were sitting down for lunch. I liked Fetarro somewhat, unlike Syaoran, but I was curious as to why a total stranger would take us in like this, and wished to know more about him. 

"I hunt," he said cheerfully. "I was born to hunt; so my father said. I killed my first elphatan at thirteen. Vicious brute; he nearly killed the guide."

"Isee." I swallowed. _Some people like hunting,_ I told myself. _It's no big deal._ "What was the hardest to k-kill?" 

He stroked his chin. "The hardest animal for methat would be the gudarte. But it is not the most dangerous of prey." He sighed. "For some time, I have been hunting a new animal."

"A new animal?" Syaoran asked. 

"Oh, I must start at the beginning," he said ruefully. "At first, I tried tigres, but they left to good of a trail and I was able to track them with more than enough ease. I went to the North after beyrs, but they are far too easy game. This was a few years ago, mind youI was in the West when a horrific thought came to me. See, hunting is my _life,_ and it had begun to–to bore me! I never, ever failed! Perfection is monotonous. All the beasts I went after were too poor a prey. They failed to provide any entertainment whatsoever."

I nodded vaguely, feeling sick inside. "Sowhat did you do?"

He smiled–not grimly, but not sweetly either and not genuinely. _Syaoran doesn't smile as much as Fetarro, but at least his are real,_ I thought, an invisible shiver running up my spine. 

"I hunted something else," he replied. "I found this island and it serves my purposes."

"What is it that you hunt?" Syaoran asked a moment later.

He leaned back. "Animals are truly challenging," he said blandly. "But they do not have one thing: reason. Instinct is no match for reason. Men can defeat them anytime. But" My chest tightened as he paused. He couldn't be doing what this seemed to be leading to "It is very exciting," he said finally, "too match wits with something of equal intelligence. Something that can reason."

"You can't mean" I trailed off, repulsed.

"It's hunting," he said innocently. "I am the hunter, they are the prey. It is hunting."

"Hunting?" Syaoran growled, standing. "This is _murder._ You're sick." 

I tried to stand. _I don't want to stay on this island another minute._

"Oh, you can't leave," he said casually. "Or use magic here, for that matter. Your swords won't come out."

I glared at him and tried to pull out my sword. Everything about this was getting more terrifying by the minuteThere was no flash of silver. The blade would not come.

"Do relax," he advised. "It is worrisome to see you fret so. I assure you, you are not in any danger, but if you do not sit, I will be forced to take action."

We were at his mercy until we could figure a way out of this mess. I met Syaoran's eyes and silently begged him to sit down. He did, and I faced Fetarro. "When can we leave?"

He shrugged. "I did want to show you the training school. My recruits are resourceful and strong, and they look intelligent." A shadow crossed his face. "However, they do not have the wits to survive for long."

"How–how–" I was captivated by terrified fascination. 

"I give them a machete, camouflage, a pack, and food, and set them loose in the forest for three days. They have a head start also–I leave at night; hunting by starlight is _much_ more exciting. However, if I find them before the three days are over, they lose."

"Lose what?" I demanded.

"The game and their life."

"What if they win?" Syaoran glared at him.

He lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply, then blew the blue smoke out in a long breath. "I have yet to lose, my dear boy."

"When can we leave?" I asked again.

Fetarro cocked an eyebrow. "I hoped you would join me in hunting."

"No." I met his cold black eyes squarely. "I will not hunt men."

He laughed. "Not as the hunter, my dear."

Syaoran jumped to his feet at the same time as I did. I didn't care if we had to swim away, but we were getting off this hell-island _now._

Chains whipped around Syaoran, lashing him to the spot as I cried out. "Syaoran!"

Fetarro stood indolently, a smile on his lips. "You have a choice, dear heart. You may play the game according to my rules; or you forfeit and lose your friend." 

Scowling, I whirled to face him. _This isn't a choice_ "I'll play."

"Very well." He drummed the tabletop. "As I said, you have three days in which to avoid capture. If I lose, you have your freedom and your friend's. If I _win,_ howeverI have you."

I paled, but asked, "If I lose, what happens to Syaoran?"

"Sakura, that isn't important!"

"Yes it is!" I insisted. 

Fetarro shrugged again. "He will join my new collection of heads. Would you like to see them?"

I backed away, unbelieving. "You're–you're evil," I gasped. 

"Evil comes in many forms," he replied simply. "Kort will give you what you need."

I crouched on the tree limb, numb, Rokona on my shoulder. She was awake now, and she could help me, even if I couldn't understand what she said at first. 

It had been an hour since I had left. I didn't want to leave Syaoran–not at all–but if this was the only way we were getting out of this alive, then it would be the way I'd do it. 

So far, Rokona had given me more than a few hints. I knew Fetarro had to be some sort of wizard, so if I used magic it would be a dead giveaway; but how to move without leaving a trail? She had given me the answer.

I studied the distance between the nearest tree branch and the one I was perched on, thoughtful. If I was careful, I could leap from branch to branch and leave no sign that I'd passed. But it would take precision and care–or I'd break a branch.

__

I think I can make it to that one

Tensing, I sprang, then landed gently on the bough. It shook, and for a moment I feared it might break, but the thick wood remained whole and I settled on it to think about my position.

I was a few miles from the mansion now. The island wasn't all that big to begin with, but I would have to escape Fetarro for two nights and three days. 

Like I said, he was a magician. Couldn't he find me with magic?

"Rokona, can he find me?" I whispered. "You know, with magic?"

She tilted her head to the side, then shook it. I heaved a sigh of relief and went back to thinking. 

The machete, safely sheathed, was thrust through the sash around my waist. It wouldn't be much help if I had to keep myself from him, thoughMy magic didn't work here either, so I was fairly defenseless but for the long knife that I had no clue about using and therefore was almost no use whatsoever

__

Unless you're face to face, and you have to kill him.

Hopefully, it won't come to that. But if it does

But what am I going to do for the next two and a half days? I looked up and saw the sun, midway past noon. I had another few hours until sunset.

__

If he follows me somehow, then I might as well make the trail hard. Then I'll get as far away from that mansion as possible, and spend the night in a tree.

I bent my knees and scooped up Rokona, bounding off again. 

Finally, I was exhausted, the sun had set a half an hour before, and I was hopelessly lost. I came to a tall tree and climbed wearily to the top, then looked around for the mansion and found it far away. It would have taken him a while just to reach me even if he knew where I was, and the fact that he couldn't find me with magic meant I was safe for the night. There was no way he could possibly follow a trail in the trees–my boots left no mark, and I had been careful to double back, loop, twist, and make my path wild and unpredictable in every way. If he could track me despite all that, I didn't know how the hell I would manage to survive the next few days

Morning found me lying, dead-eyed, on a tree branch. Despite my exhaustion, I hadn't fallen asleep until a few short hours ago. 

__

SyaoranI hope you're okay

"Pu, pu puu!" Rokona landed on my stomach, her ears twitching urgently. 

"What is it? Is he close?" I whispered, sudden, sick fear coursing through my veins. "How far?"

"Pu!" She held up a paw with three toes up.

"Three miles?" 

She nodded, and I swiftly picked her up, then leapt to the nearest branch. It was time to play the hunted once more.

It was in the early afternoon when I came to a problem: marshes. Either I went across–and how long that would take was uncertain, along with how safe it was–or I skirted them and kept to the forest I'd already passed through. 

I stood on the edge, looking uncertainly at the muddy waters. The only advantages were that I'd be on the other side of the island, and I would be hard to track through them. The naturally unclear water would hide my footprints for the most part, and the swamps were _big._ Even if Fetarro knew I had gone in them, he wouldn't be sure exactly where I'd gone and where I'd come out. 

There was one problem, though: quicksand. Would I sink into the earth? Fetarro had said that if he couldn't find me by the end of three days that Syaoran and I would be free, but if I was dead would he free him? Or would Syaoran join his collection of heads? I nearly threw up at the thought.

__

But if he catches you, then Syaoran dies too. Which risk is worse–going through the swamp and into new territory, or running around the forest again?

Maybe he would recognize the fact that I was traveling via tree, and be able somehow to follow me through the woods. That couldn't happen.

Syaoran's face flashed through my mind's eye, and I swallowed. _I've got to get us out of here alive._

"Come on, Rokona." I set her on my shoulder. Picking up a slender stick about my height and two or so inches wide, I tested the point in the mud. It sank. I could see where it would be safe to walk with it. Looking up at the sky, I squared my shoulders and strode carefully into the swamp. "Let me know if I'm going to step in quicksand," I said softly. I couldn't take any more risks

It took me about three hours to get through the swamp. The sun was setting when I finally reached dry ground and stumbled onto it, my legs caked in a waist-high layer of mud. After three hours of pushing my way through thick muck, I wasn't sure I could walk another step

But I'd have to.

I knelt wearily on the edge of the marsh, then noticed the mud running down and falling on the moss. _That's not goodI'll leave an obvious trail._ "Rokona, can you get rid of the mud without him sensing it?"

"Pu." She hopped off my shoulder and glowed indigo for a moment. The dark, green-brown sludge vanished and I got to my feet and picked her up. Finding the nearest climbable tree, I dragged myself up it. Splinters dug into my palms, but I ignored it. All light hadn't vanished, so I would get a little further away from the marsh, then try to sleep.

The tree I found was wide and tall. I was grateful that I didn't turn in my sleep, or I surely would have fallen. Leaning back on the branch, I closed my eyes, feeling the exhaustion deep in my bones. 

__

In my dream, I was standing in a dark, dark hall. But it wasn't dark in a way that I couldn't see; it was simply dark. Every single column and arch was sharply etched in my eyes–so sharp, it almost hurt. Everything was perfect, down to the last detail. A chill crept up my spine.

A strange sword was shimmering in my fist as I strode silently down the marble floor, towards a dais at the end. A giant chair, shaped almost like an egg with a section cut out, was floating above the dais's direct center with its back to me. I did not know who–or what–was in it.

Something was wrong. Why was I all alone? Where was Syaoran?

"Where is Syaoran?" I whispered. 

The person in the chair knew the answer. I knew it somehow.

"Where's Syaoran?" I demanded. 

There was no response.

"Face me!" I yelled, bringing up the sword. "Tell me where he is!"

There was no response as I strode to the base, then leapt up the stairs. My sword was so long, and yet no heavier than a feather. How could that be? If I set it in front of me with the hilt touching the ground, it would have stretched another two feet above my head

"Where is he?" I demanded, now at the chair. "Where is he?"

It ever so slowly turned around. A twisted, hideous mask covered the person's face, a hood over his head. And I knew that all was not right. 

"Where is he?" I demanded, the sword shining in my hand. "Where's Syaoran?"

And then a gloved hand was raised, and it grasped the edge of the mask, slowly, tantalizingly starting to lift it away. 

What would I see under there?

I sat bolt upright, breathing harshly. That was the second time I'd had that dream. _What can it mean?_ I wondered. _Is it Chaos under there?_

"Puu!" Rokona squealed softly, and I knew exactly what she was saying; it was time to get going again.

It was noon when I hit the ocean. The waves roared and crunched below me, loud as thunder as they ground against the rocky cliff. I stared at them numbly, then realized that if I followed the coastline, I'd eventually end up back at the mansion. I wanted to get back there as soon as possible–if I managed to sneak back inside, then Fetarro wouldn't find me until he came back that night. 

Scaling the rough trunk of a tree, I set off again.

The wind whipped my hair as I rounded a bend in the shoreline. _I can't believe itI managed to stay away from him for the three days_

Don't get too relaxed, the rational, cautious voice inside me warned. _It's only three o' clock. You've still got another four hours until sunset._

I glanced at the rooftops of the mansion's many towers, a few miles away. They had come into sight a little while ago. _I'm almost there_

Sudden rustling made me jump. There was a snap as a twig broke under human foot, far too near. 

Fetarro.

I hastily scrambled into another tree, hoping the leaves would screen me from view. A minute later, he came into view below. My heart was pounding so hard that I was surprised he couldn't hear it.

He looked around, his gaze measured. _I could drop on him from here,_ I thought silently. _I'd surprise him, and maybe I could kill him. Then I could go back and get Syaoran. Fetarro's spells should die with him._

There was a slight hiss of metal on cloth as I slid the machete out of my sash. I'd thrown the sheath into the ocean after I realized it only got in the way.

He looked up, startled. _His ears are that good?!_

That didn't matter. The surprise was lost, but I was already armed and he was not. Plus, I had gravity on my side.

I threw myself down at him. He let out a startled cry, and everything was a blur and rush as I tried to force the long knife towards him. It was a wild struggle–and he slipped–

Then he let out a choking gasp, and fell, the machete buried in his chest. I stood over him, panting, then looked towards the mansion. The magic-banishing spell dissolved, and I used Star Flight to get to the mansion. 

Kort was nowhere to be seen, but several valuables were gone and I suspected he'd fled. Now I would have to find Syaoran. 

I wandered wearily through the halls, stopping only to wash Fetarro's blood off my hands. He was no better than a rabid animal, but I still hadn't been thrilled about killing him. Bloodshed was never right.

When I found Syaoran, he was literally the Stone Knight. I stared at the granite statue, appalled. It was unmistakably him.

Spells usually died with a sorcerer. Sometimes, though, if they were set so, they would last beyond the caster's life. 

This one had obviously been set like that.

"Pu?" Rokona hopped onto his shoulder and peered into the eyes, twin orbs of amber. They were the only color in the entire statue. "Pu! Pu puu!"

"Syaoran" My chin trembled as I numbly laid a hand on his cheek. _My godwill he be stone forever?_

Does he even know he's stone? Is he awake?

"Pu!" Rokona bounced excitedly.

I frowned at her, unshed tears in my eyes. Then something occurred to me, and I asked bewilderedly, "Do you know how to–to fix him?"

"Pu! Pu puu!" She pressed a paw to her mouth, then put it to Syaoran's lips and pointed at me.

"What?" I didn't get it. _Does she want me to throw up on him?_

And then, suddenly, I got it. "K-k-k-kiss him?" I stuttered, blushing.

She nodded emphatically, her tiny wings quivering. 

I flushed, embarrassed. This was getting ridiculous"Is there _any_ other way?" I asked plaintively.

She shook her head. "Pu!"

__

Well, I don't want him to be stone forever and on the plus side, I get an excuse to kiss him.

I stepped closer and swiftly brushed my lips against his stone ones, then jumped back.

"Pu!" Rokona scowled at me, and he stayed solid granite. 

"What?" I asked helplessly. "Am I supposed to make out with a rock? Is that what it's going to take?"

"Pu" she sighed. I would have sworn she'd rolled her eyes if I had been able to see them. Spotting a pad of paper and a quill on the table, she bounced over to it and scribbled, 'You have to kiss him! A _real_ kiss!'

I ran a hand through my hair. Butterflies ran through my stomach, and I walked up towards him once more, my knees weak. My mouth met stone, but it warmed to flesh quickly as I drew away. To my relief and concern, he was unconscious still. I caught him as he fell and eased him down. After a minute, his eyes fluttered open and he sat up, frowning. "Wasn't I–just–"

"Yes," I said with a sigh. "You aren't now. It's been the three days, I won, and he's gone." My voice was ragged with weariness. 

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. 

"Yeah," I said distractedly, trying to keep my mind off the ringing in my ears. "Fine."

"You don't look fine." His face was fading from my vision

When I woke up, I was in a strange bed. I blinked at the rich velvet canopy overhead, then sat up. _I really want a bath_

I climbed out from between the sheets, wondering where I was. Sunlight poured in from a window, and I saw the ocean tossing frothy waves below. _We're still in the mansion_ _I must have fainted._

I pulled an extra set of clothes out of my glove jewel and headed towards an open doorway. Upon entry I found it was, indeed, a bathroom, and made good use of it. 

When I came out in fresh clothes and finally clean, Rokona launched herself at me and landed on the top of my head. "Pu! Pu! Puuuuu!"

"Hi to you too," I laughed. "Where's Syaoran?" 

"Right here," he said, walking in.

All of a sudden, I had the strangest sense of déjà vu. _Why does this feel so familiar?_ _Where did I hear that?_ Shaking it off, I asked, "Are you okay? Still un-stone-ish?" 

"Yeah, still human," he said wryly. "Rokona says the spell wore off a little after you killed him."

__

Wore off, huh? I guess that freaky little hamster really does have a soul "Yeah, pretty much. Is there anything to eat?" I asked, changing the subject. "I kinda skipped breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the last three days, and running all over the island to avoid enslavement by a psycho really tends to build up the ol' appetite."

"No kidding. This guy was pretty well stocked, so there's a ton of stuff still here. Come on." 

He turned and I followed him down the hall. "What about the people in the training thing?" 

"Them?" He shrugged. "Rokona made something for them to fly in and they all went back to the mainland."

"That's good," I sighed. "At least they didn't have to be hunted."

A little later, we set off again. Soon, we came to a strange-looking place in the sea: there was an island that was entirely a volcano far below, and above was a mountain just _floating_ in the sky. 

"Those are the Shrines," Syaoran said lowly.

"Yeah, Fuu and Hikaru and Umi told me about them," I said thoughtfully. "But where are ours?"

"Pu!" Rokona hopped onto the rail, and suddenly a cloud moved. Below, we could see a great hole in the ocean. It wasn't a whirlpool; it was simply a giant hole, leading far into the ground. 

There was a jerk, and then we were falling straight towards it.

"ROKONA!" I picked her up and shook her. "DON'T DO THIS! NOW IS NOT THE TIME!"

Then we were dropping through the gap. It was like a giant wormhole; if I had dared to reach out a hand from the rail it would have brushed smooth stone.

Our passage opened into a wider chamber, and we shot into a tunnel, then came into a hall as big as a cathedral.

Our ride stopped in front of a pair of double doors. There was the sculpted head of something over themwhat was it? It looked like a bird, but different somehowand over it was a strange rune.

"Where are we?" I breathed.

Then gold flared in my vision, and I looked over to see red-gold power spiraling around Syaoran. His eyes opened, the amber depths strangely like the heart of a volcano, the pupils gone. 

"The Shrine of the Earth," he said tonelessly. "The Spirit rests here."

"How do you know that?" I asked. He didn't reply, walking forward. "Syaoran?"

The twin doors opened, and he strode inside them. Frightened, I started to follow.

Then they slammed shut with a bang.

"_Syaoran!" _I threw myself at them, beating wildly at the immense doors. "_Syaoran!"_

"Puu!" Rokona hopped on my shoulder and tugged my hair until I stopped. "Pu!"

"Will he be okay?" I asked, my eyes wide with fear. 

"Pu!" She nodded emphatically.

"Okay" I relaxed somewhat, then backed away. When the doors opened again, I wouldn't want to be the one to be in their way. 

"No, he won't be okay," a smooth voice said coldly. "It's because you're evil."

Only this time, it wasn't in my head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran

When I came halfway out of the trance, I was surrounded by roiling red-gold power. It billowed and surged around me, leading me on. I strode through it, and in the heart of the magic was the Spirit.

He was all gold. Not gold as in color, but literally the metal gold, each hair and feather shining and reflecting like a mirror. Even the wings were made of gold. 

The griffyn gazed imperiously down at me through carnelian eyes. **Your name.**

I stood my ground, even under the immense pressure coming from it. "Syaoran."

****

I am Terronen. You wish to come here and don me, to become a Magic Knight. It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes."

****

Present to me proof. He narrowed his eyes. **Show me the strength of heart that a true Magic Knight possesses. I have waited for the one with the strength of heart necessary for eternity, here in the Shrine of the Earth. If you do not have a soul worthy of donning me, you will not become a Magic Knight.**

There was a rush, and he went _through_ me. I followed him at a run, breaking completely out of the trance. The doors opened, and I stumbled into a horrifying scene.

A strange man had Sakura wrapped in tentacles, suspended into the air. 

"You're evil"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, how I _love_ cliffhangers Who is this mysterious man? What if Syaoran's heart _isn't_ strong enough, hmm? Makes you wonder


	7. Star Light, Star Bright

Stone and Starfire

Stone and Starfire

Chapter Six: Star Light, Star Bright

I DON'T OWN THIS! PLEASE DON'T SUE ME! DON'T SAY I'M A PLAGIARIST! I'LL BE BOOTED OFF THIS SITE! That happened to another author in the Harry Potter section, and GRRRRR that pisses me off so much Someone complained and said she was a plagiarist and WHAM! she was booted off! All because she forgot a disclaimer in ONE chapter out of GOD KNOWS HOW MANY! ::tears hair out in frustration:: GOD! WHAT KIND OF FREAK-ASS SON OF A BITCH DOES THAT TO AN AUTHOR? HUH? WHAT DID SHE DO TO THEM, HUH?

-_-;

Anyways, I don't own this

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

The griffyn gazed imperiously down at me through carnelian eyes. **Your name.**

I stood my ground, even under the immense pressure radiating from him. "Syaoran."

****

I am Terronen. You wish to come here and don me, to become a Magic Knight. It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes."

****

Present to me proof. He narrowed his eyes. **Show me the strength of heart that a true Magic Knight possesses. I have waited for the one with the strength of heart necessary for eternity, here in the Shrine of the Earth. If you do not have a soul worthy of donning me, you will not become a Magic Knight.**

There was a rush, and he went through me. I followed him at a run, breaking completely out of the trance. The doors opened, and I stumbled into a horrifying scene.

A strange man had Sakura wrapped in tentacles, suspended into the air. 

"You're evil"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

His chilling voice rang through the hall, and she flinched, shaking, at every word. "Just give in"

"Let her go!" I drew my sword. Whoever he was, he wasn't on our side and that was for sure. 

When he didn't obey, I ran and slashed through the tentacles. They dropped her, but she was unconscious and wasn't waking up.

"Who are you?" I shouted furiously. "What do you want with her?"

"Oh, nothing but her soul," he said lightly. "The name's Elan, and—" He twirled the long staff in his hands, and pain shot through me. "—I'm afraid I don't have time for you." The tentacles shot out again, wrapping around her wrists and ankles once more.

"No!" I cleaved them again, the pain burning in my veins. "Leave her alone!"

She sat up and blinked, then moaned, clutching her head. "No"

"Sakura, snap out of it," I said urgently. "We've got trouble."

"I can't," she gasped. "I can't. I can't do it."

"Sakura!" I started to get closer to her, but magical flames roared up between us and I jumped back before I caught on fire.

The long whips snaked out again, and this time I was unable to stop them as they slithered over her. She shuddered, still squeezing her eyes shut and whimpering. 

"You're evil," Elan called. "Give in, Sakura. You can have anything you ever wanted."

"No!" I glared at him, then brought my hands up. "Gold Avalanche!" The power shot out and nearly knocked him off his feet, but he shook it off and straightened. 

"You'll have to do better than that, boy," he laughed.

__

I need Sakura's help, I thought quickly. _But she can't do anything right now, much less defend herself, and my magic doesn't hurt him that much._

What am I going to do?

Electricity crackled down the whips, and Sakura screamed in pain.

"_Sakura!"_

That's it. I don't care if I get burned to a crisp, but this has got to stop.

I backed up, bracing myself to run through the fire.

****

Surely you do not mean to run into the flames. Terronen's voice, usually so unemotional, held a hint of surprise and disbelief.

Elan was laughing his head off, too loud to hear anything. "It's the only way," I said quietly. "This can't go on."

****

You will die.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Miracles happen. Besides, I'm a fast runner."

He cocked an eye ridge at me, but didn't reply. I turned away, then braced myself and sprinted towards the fire. 

The split second before my foot went in, there was a scarlet flash. I kept on running, and in a moment, I was on the other side, totally unharmed. 

****

Fire is the match to Stone, Terronen said dryly. **It cannot harm you.**

About to ask why the _hell_ he hadn't told me before then, I remembered that I was roughly the size of one of his talons and decided to pass. Instead, I turned to Sakura.

She was huddled in a little ball, her eyes tightly clenched shut. "No No" she repeated to herself, over and over again. "No No"

"Sakura." I knelt by her. "Sakura, snap out of it."

Something lashed around my arm and yanked me back. Lightning sparked down its length and pain raced through my veins. "Can't have you doing that," Elan sang. 

Gritting my teeth, I slashed through the whip and got up. "Let her go!"

"Sorry, but that isn't an option." He smiled cheerfully, then twisted his staff once more. It turned into a long sword, the blade a dull gray. "I'll have to kill you."

He disappeared from sight, then reappeared directly in front of me. I brought up the sword just in time as his came sweeping down.

We fought for what felt like an eternity but was in all reality only a few minutes. "You're supposed to be a Magic Knight?" he laughed as he opened a gash on my left arm. 

I was running out of energy, and he knew it.

"Aren't going to last much longer, are you?" he crowed. "Then I'll have that lovely little girl all to myself. She really thinks she just might be evil, you know. I've been telling her that for the _longest_ timeShe lasted much longer than I had thought, thoughbut you're going to lose, and I'm going have _so_ much fun with her!"

__

He's been telling her she was evil? So that was what was bothering her Then all of what he had said registered in my mind. 

****

Young man, you are here to prove you are worthy of becoming the Magic Knight of Stone. Terronen was relatively unmoved. **So prove it.**

I was seriously, seriously pissed off. I had _no_ assistance right now, I was facing off against an insane sociopath of a mage, and here was this all-powerful Spirit thing not helping at all. And worst of all, Sakura was in an immense amount of trouble and there was nothing I could do about it.

__

"In Sendelvon, the strength of your heart is power. Emotions only fuel it more."

I need a spell to hold off Elan until Sakura is out of it

"Stone Heart!" Gold power swirled around Elan, and slowly, he started turning gray. In a minute, he was stiff rock. I knew it was only temporary.

Not wasting any time, I went to her. "Sakura, wake up." She didn't react, and I put my hand on her shoulder.

Immediately, I was sucked into a whirlpool of self-doubt and fear. Most of it was magically enhanced, but it had genuine roots and those were what had to go first if it all was going to disappear.

__

I have to be evilthat's why all this is happening to us The random thought floated by, laden with guilt. 

__

If I tell anyone I'm hearing voices, they might not believe me

I think I'm going crazy

I don't know why it has to be the way it is! I don't know why I have to be the Starfire Knight! I don't know!

Why is this happening to me?

What if I really am evil?

I stared at the figure in the center of the whirlpool, Sakura. _She's been going through all this?! She didn't show it at all!_

I had to get her out.

"Sakura, you aren't evil," I yelled, trying to get to her. On the plane we were in, I was too far away from her and had to shout over the roaring. Her emotions and thoughts were tearing up the dimension.

__

I'm in her mind.

"You aren't evil!" I shouted again, forcing through the wind and power swirling around her. "Sakura, listen to me!"

"No," she wailed. "No, I have to be evil. I have to be. Otherwise this wouldn't be happening."

"It's happening because of someone else, Sakura!" I pushed my way past more violent, shrieking winds. "There's a man out there who's been messing with you!"

"No" she cried. "I'm evil"

Then I was in the eye of the storm. She was there, on her knees, her hands buried in her hair. 

"Sakura, wake up!" I strode over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "You aren't evil, dammit!"

"Yes I am!" she insisted, lifting her face, her eyes haunted.

"Prove it."

"What?" she gasped. 

"I said prove it," I said, my voice harsh from shouting so much. "When was the last time you acted in the name of evil?"

"But—but—" There was a pause. "But—why"

"Why are we here?" I asked, and she nodded. "Why this stuff has been happening to us? I don't know, but I _do_ know it _isn't_ _your fault!_" When she bit her lip uncertainly, I added desperately, "If you aren't going to trust yourself, at least trust me, Sakura! I _know_ you aren't anything even close to evil!"  
She winced, the chaos around us starting to settle a little. 

"If you were evil, you wouldn't be feeling guilty, would you?" I asked pointedly. "There's only a little time until Elan comes back. Come on."

She stood up, a new light in her eyes, and the mental chaos came to a standstill, then disappeared. I blinked and found myself back in the hall.

Elan was just starting to turn back into flesh—but that didn't last for long.

"SILVER NOVA!"

Starfire blasted out and flattened him, and I followed it up with the words that came to my mind—it was the last, most powerful spell I had. "Stone Thunder!"

There was a blinding, soundless flash, and when the spots cleared from my eyes, all that was left of Elan was a pile of ash.

****

Magic Knight, I recognize the strength of your feelings as proof. There was another blinding flash, and suddenly, in place of the griffyn was a towering, machine-like robot. **You are not yet ready to don me. I will wait with you until the day you are.** The Mashin turned into burning gold power and rushed into the stone on my armor. It flared, then morphed, along with Sakura's. The minute the armor had stopped shining like it had been nuked, the swords started lighting up the hall, and in a minute they'd evolved too. Sakura's wasn't all that different, but mine had gotten a little longer and there was a griffyn on the hilt.

"Pu! Puu, pu puu!" 'Well, that was interesting! Let's get going, shall we?'

"Hey!" Sakura smiled. "I can understand her again!"

"Pu puu pu. Puu, pu." 'It must have been another of that jackass's spells. At least it's gone.'

"Yeah" she sighed. 

"Sakura" I paused, not knowing exactly what to say. "If anything like that happens again, you can tell me."

"I know," she said sadly. "I just wasn't sure if you'd believe me. That, and what would happen if you did."

"You were worried I'd think you were evil?" She nodded. "Sakura, evil's the thing you've been _fighting_ since you opened the Clow Book. There is no way in Heaven, Hell, or Earth that _you_ of all people are evil." 

She blinked. "I never thought of it that way"

"Pu!" 'Are we going to stand around talking all day, or are we going to get going?'

I sighed. "Rokona, you need more patience."

"Puu, pu puu. Pu puu pu." 'No I don't. Now, get in. We've got a lot to do.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

I climbed in after Syaoran and the flying soup bowl took off, shooting through the tunnels once more. In a minute, we were back in open air and going straight up.

"This thing _is_ safe, right?" I asked. "It won't pop if we get too high or something?"

"Pu puu?" 'How should I know?'

"YOU MADE THE FREAKING THING!" I yelled. 

"Pu?" 'So?'

I looked over the edge in time to see us pass the flying mountain. At this point, we were so high I was starting to get dizzy

And it was getting hard to breathe.

"Rokonathe atmosphere's thinning" I wheezed. "Air"

"Pu?" She tilted her head to the side like she didn't understand. 

"Air" coughed Syaoran. "We need it to live, Rokona."

"Pu?"

The pressure on my lungs was starting to make me feel faint. "ROKONA!!" The words came out as a thin squeak.

She sighed. "Puu" 

A shield appeared around us once more, and I was able to breathe normally once more. "Hoe"

"Yeah, no kidding," Syaoran said dryly. "How many times has she nearly killed us? I've lost count"

I was about to respond when I realized we were outside the atmosphere. The world fell away and was replaced by field upon field of stars. It was amazing. I got up and walked to the side, pressing my face against the clear shield. "Wow"

Something started standing out against the diamond-studded blackness around us. _Another Shrine?_ We were getting nearer and nearer

Then silver filled my vision as we drew nearer and I saw it was indeed a Shrine. Fiery quicksilver flowed in and around me, lifting me up, and I didn't fight it. I was floating

The shield opened, and I passed it, the silver flames taking me nearer the shrine. Immense white columns were the only thing that stood between the open space and the smooth black floor, so shiny it was as reflective as a mirror. There was a faint tat as I landed gently on it and strode in between two of the pillars.

Burning white whirled around me, pulling and pushing around me. I followed the current, my feet ever so often leaving the ground, and in a minute I was—

In front of a giant silver eye. It drew back, and I saw the Spirit in her entirety for the first time.

Long, slender legs, fine-boned but powerful, with a fringe of long, flowing hair around the hooves. A long neck, the head perfectly proportionate to it; a long, silver horn spiraling from the direct center of her forehead. White, burning flames instead of a mane and tail, and smaller flames flaring from her hocks. Every inch of her looked as though it was liquid silver; I could see my distorted reflection in a giant hoof.

The unicorn regarded me with a careful eye. **I am Astrendal, Spirit of the Shrine of the Stars. Who are you?**

"Sakura." My voice was a bare whisper, but it rang throughout the temple.

****

Do you wish to become a Magic Knight?

"I do."

****

Then show me the proof. A true Magic Knight has a strong heart. You must show me proof.

"Proofof a strong heart"

Then I snapped out of the trance.

"Well, well, well looks like you've been rejected," laughed a voice.

I blinked and straightened. "Who's there?" There was no response. "Answer me! Where are you?"

"Oh, you want to know where I am?" she asked mockingly. "Look _up,_ dearie."

Immediately, my gaze traveled up the walls and to the ceiling. A woman was floating above me, a vicious grin twisting her beautiful features into an ugly mask. "Who are you?" I demanded again.

"Ebonay," she said haughtily, descending slowly towards me. "Your destroyer."

"What?!"

"Oh, Chaos didn't tell you, did he?" she cackled. "He sent me here to kill you."

__

Great, I've got some insane witch to deal with too I dodged as she suddenly let out a blazing fireball. It hit the glassy black floor, leaving a scorch and nothing else. 

"Shooting Starfire!" White balls of fire shot at her, and she stumbled back, but then straightened. 

"Not bad, girl from another world. Not bad, but you'll have to do better than that." I was flattened by an explosion directly in front of me. "Oh, who's this?"

I raised my head and followed her gaze to Syaoran. "Leave him alone!"

"My, he's gorgeous," she purred. "Chaos didn't say anything about him" A smile broke out on her face. "Well, I don't really care about that old windbag anywaywho needs him when you've got a man like that?" She twisted her hand in a complicated gesture, and there was a flash—

and they vanished. 

__

"Syaoran!" I screamed his name, but he was gone. _"Syaoran! NOOOO!!!!"_

****

I left the temple desolately and got back in the flying soup bowl, not sure of what to do next. Rokona couldn't even comfort me; I had no idea where he was and what was happening to him. After a little while, I fell asleep from utter exhaustion.

And so it was only natural that I was captured.

When I woke up, I was in a sphere of power and floating in the middle of space. Rokona was in a cage clutched in the hand of a woman who looked oddly like Ebonay. She smiled as I threw myself at the confining wall, then walked nearer and reached through it, grasping me by the throat. The scream stopped in my vocal cords, cut off. I tried to say anything, but nothing came out. My voice was gone, along with every ounce of magic I had and all my memories of how to read and write.

"HmmYou're kinda uglyso I think I'll have to change you a little." My hair turned black, grew, and wove itself into two braids, and there was a blue flash around my eyes. "Perfect. Ebonay needs another handmaid." 

__

Ebonay?

"Come, wench." She gestured, and the sphere floated alongside her. I realized I was in tattered clothes—she must have done that before I had woken up. "You're a slave now."

****

She took me to a giant, floating castle. The guards bowed and stepped aside as she haughtily strode past, me hovering silently at her side. We were taken to a lush room, but I had to stand by my captor's side.

Ebonay came in after an hour of waiting, just as my legs were starting to fall asleep. "Ivery!" 

"Hello, dear sister." Ivery got up and embraced her sister, then sat down again. "I found this delicious little girl today, and I was wondering whether you wanted her. I heard you had to get rid of that other maid, and she seems like the obedient type. Didn't give me an ounce of trouble once I took her voice."

"Do you still have it?"

Ivery took out a small glass sphere filled with silver mist. "Right here."

"Hmm I'll keep her," Ebonay said decisively, taking the orb from her sister. "She looks intelligent, and like you said, I need one to replace Threnda. Besides, I will need more help, now that I have myguest." She laughed, a high, cackling, shrieking howl, and I nearly shuddered as it grated against my eardrums. 

"Very well. Well, I must be going; there are many more young people to scoop up, and I must hurry."

"But of course. Do come again, Ivery." Ebonay saw her sister out the door, then turned and snapped her long-nailed fingers at me. "Come, girl."

I trotted after her, making my eyes wide and blank as she prattled on and on about god-knows-what. 

"And what shall we call you?" she asked, stopping abruptly and peering into my eyes. I tilted my head to the side, willing my eyes not to show I knew everything that was going on. "Hmm I think Laira will do for you Come, Laira."

She led the way down hall after hall, finally coming to a huge marble slab set in the wall. As I blinked at it, wondering what the hell it was, Ebonay said something in a different language and it slid away to reveal another passageway. We went down that one and countless others, then came to an iron door. She said something else in the strange language, and it swung open to a dark room. Snapping her fingers, she walked inside and I followed.

Lights flared on to reveal a richly decorated bedchamber. She went through a doorway to the right and stopped at the circular room it let into. There were twelve doors set into the wall, and she pointed to the one with the number five on it. "That is your room. You come whenever the bell rings, or fifty lashes. If you do your services well, you will be rewarded." I nodded to show I understood, and she smiled, showing all of her pointed teeth. "You _are_ more intelligent than the others. You shall be quite useful, Laira. Now come, I will show you where you may not go unless I say."

She walked over to a long table and tapped a circle inlay. Immediately, a map of the entire palace appeared on the walnut surface.

"We are here. You may go here—" she traced a rectangle around a certain portion of the castle "—and nowhere else until I think you are to be trusted. Now, as for your duties—"

An explosion rocked the room, but nothing fell out of place and I realized every item was magicked. A frown crossed Ebonay's face, and she muttered, "Damn that boy"

"My lady, the prisoner nearly broke out," panted a courier a second later as he leaned heavily on the doorframe. "He blew a hole in the wall, but they got him."

Her brow furrowed, and she said thoughtfully a moment later, "Bring him up here."

"My lady?" he asked incredulously.

"I don't pay you to question my orders!" she snapped. "Have the boy brought up here _now, _or you will regret it!"

"As you wish!" He scurried away.

__

The boy? Iscould shedoes she mean?

I swallowed the lump in my throat. 

A minute later, there were scuffles in the hall, punctuated by curses and growls. But each one was dear to me, because I knew the voice.

And then Syaoran was wrestled into the room, his eyes blazing. They traveled over everything, and for a heart-wrenching moment I wondered if he would recognize me through the spells Ivery had put on me. The burning pools of amber landed on me, and I couldn't breathe, but then he glared at Ebonay. 

"What do you want?"

She gestured, and chains appeared out of nowhere, shackling him to the wall. "Guards, you may go. I will call you when I am done."

I could feel Syaoran start a spell as they left, but apparently so could she. "Go on, try it, boy. It won't work; those are true binding chains."

The gold sparks flickered and died as my heart went into my throat. _My god_

Does she even remember I'm still here?

"You asked before what I want," she said suddenly, her voice a low purr. Inching forward, she laid a hand on his cheek. "All I want is you."

__

Must

Yet.

He jerked his head away, and she laughed. "Stubborn, hmm?" I died. She was beautiful in her own way, a fierce, angry beautyWould Syaoran fall for her?

And then I had to grab a nearby table for support as she seized his chin and kissed him.

He tried to get away from her, that was for sure, but there was nowhere for him to go. 

__

I want to screambut I can't

I wanted my voice back, and I wanted it back _now._

She pulled away from him, then smiled grimly. "You can't last, boy."

__

"Get away from me." I'd never heard that kind of anger in his voice. 

She cocked an eyebrow, then shrugged. "Guards?" They came, and took him away as I tried to keep my tears from showing.

The other slaves ignored me as I scrubbed down the polished floor of Ebonay's bath pavilion. I'd been put to work since she had gotten tired of Syaoran for the moment, and already I was exhausted. 

Worse, I still had no clue where Syaoran was. And Rokona was long gone too, so there was no way I could be helped from her. All three of us were fairly well screwed—and there was almost nothing I could do about it.

The only thing I'd learned that was of use was that Ebonay couldn't sense magic at all, although she acted like she could.

__

Maybe I can find him

But I needed a plan to get us out of here, first.

And I needed some proof I was Sakura, not some slave, or else he wouldn't trust me.

If only I had my voice—but Ebonay did, and there was just about no way I could get it from her. She had all the slaves' voices kept in a locked room, with the key on a ring that was around her neck, day and night. With no voices, they couldn't say anything—or tell anything. Most of them were illiterate. 

__

Fwsh. Fwsh. Fwsh.

If I just knew where Syaoran was I stared hopelessly at the black surface, my reflection in it broken by frothy bubbles.

"Back to work, wench!"

My arm was dead tired, but I started moving it in the all-too-familiar motion again.

When Ebonay called me back to her room, it was to have me brush her hair.

"That young man is quite handsome, don't you think, Laira?" I blushed and nodded, continuing to comb her dark tresses out once more. "He is stubborn, thoughDid you know he is a Magic Knight?" Not waiting for my response, she continued. "He is the Knight of Stone, and just as hard-headed. Fetch the ointment."

I went to the shelf across the room as she went on. "Even stone is worn down, eventuallybut it will be harder." I picked up the jar of yellow gel. "He is in love with someone."

The container slipped from my grasp, but I managed to catch it weakly before it hit the floor. _Hesomeone else?_

"And in my opinion, he has no taste. The girl's a ninny. And she has the most _hideous_ green eyes, and red-brown hair! Red-brown! It looks like dried blood! Can you imagine?"

I stopped in my tracks. She was describing my appearance before Ivery had caught me _That can't be possible,_ I decided, my hands shaking. _She's trying to convince herself that he won't give in to her because he loves someone else, that's all._

And she called me ugly

I was trembling as I returned, the jar in my hands. "Finally! Now give it here, then go away. That will be all for tonight."

I handed it to her, then fled to my tiny closet of a room. Once the door was closed, I threw myself onto the lumpy pallet on which I was supposed to sleep and buried my face in the rough blankets. _There's no way he could love meit just isn't possible_

Am I really ugly?

The thought wormed its way into my direct attention. Ebonay had tried to convince herself he loved me to excuse the fact he wasn't giving in to her; it simply would be too good to be true otherwise. _But am I really ugly?_ I swallowed. I knew I wasn't exactly a Cindy Crawford, but was I as bad as she'd made me sound?

__

Does Syaoran think I'm ugly?

Crawling under the ragged, thin blankets, I tried to fall asleep.

__

I was standing in the hall. 

Why was I all alone? Where was Syaoran?

The person in the chair knew the answer. I knew it somehow.

"Where's Syaoran?" I demanded. 

There was no response.

"Face me!" I yelled, bringing up the sword. "Tell me where he is!"

There was no response as I strode to the base, then leapt up the stairs.

"Where is he?" I demanded, now at the chair. "Where is he?"

It ever so slowly turned around. There was the mask, hiding the person's features, a hood over his head. 

"Where is he?" I demanded, the sword shining in my hand. "Where's Syaoran?"

And then a gloved hand was raised, and it grasped the edge of the mask, slowly, tantalizingly starting to lift it away. 

I woke up again the split second before I could see who it was. _This is driving me crazy_

What had woken me up? The tiny, open window showed only stars and darkness

There was a tickling on the back of my hand, and I lifted it to see a fat spider starting to creep over my fingers.

I tried to scream, but nothing came out of my throat as I flung it outside.

__

What kind of hell is this?

I woke up again at dawn, jerked out of uneasy sleep by the harsh ringing of a bell.

"Get _up, _you lazy wenches!" shrieked Ebonay, her voice faint but distinct.

My muscles ached painfully as I got to my feet and stumbled out the door.

The next few days were absolute torture. I hurt in places I didn't even know had nerves, and each day, I was too tired to do anything but stumble into my little cell as soon as I was dismissed.

Fairly soon, I'd had enough. Getting my magic back was no longer my first priority--it was getting Syaoran out. So far, I'd been too drained to get out after sunset. This night would be different. At night, the whole palace slept; even the guards. The strongest shield spell in the kingdom supposedly went up around it as soon as the sun was gone, so they could rest in peace.

And it meant I, ever the night owl, could see if I could find him. 

The window was just barely big enough for me to squeeze through, and it let out onto the low kitchen rooftops. As soon as Ebonay let me go for the night, I waited until every sound in the entire fortress had stopped, then crawled out and jumped down, landing lightly on the flat tiles. _I'm going to find you, Syaoran. I **have** to find you._

Moving quietly, I ran to the edge, then climbed down the pipe running from the gutter and landed on the ground. _She's probably got him in a dungeonI don't have my magic, so I can't sense for hisbut Kero taught me the Emotion-sensing, and it doesn't need magic at all. Any dungeon has to have some pretty negative feelings in it, so_

I stretched out my heart and, in a way, set it free. The heart I was using was the center of emotions, and the physical manifestation was a small ball of pink and white, glowing gently. 

__

Look for fear and anger and sadness, I willed it. _Try to find where the most of it is._

It shot out dozens of tendrils of white light, invisible to anyone other than me, and then one thickened. The others disappeared as I ran a mental current down it and saw images of slimy stone walls and cold dirt floors, felt the bite of hunger and the throbbing of pain. If anything, it had to lead to the dungeons.

I followed the white rope, my footsteps almost silent. It was a long walk, and I was starting to truly feel the after effects when I came to a long, dark stairwell leading down.

I used the Emotion-sensing to see if there were any guards anywhere. There were none; they were all asleep. I went down the stairs, my heart-light the only illumination in the dank corridor. I was the only one who could see it.

The dungeons reeked, and I nearly gagged from the smell. Soon, I came to the end of the row, where a single torch was burning. Most of the cages were empty, the bars standing out against the darkness, but there was a figure in the last, sitting on the pallet and leaning hopelessly against the wall. 

The heart-light had disappeared, and now I tried to make a noise, but my voice was still gone, no matter how hard I tried to use it. Instead, I softly rapped the bars with my knuckles and there was a quiet _pang._

The shadowy figure looked up. "Who—what do you want?"

__

It's me, Sakura! I tried to speak, but nothing came out and he didn't get it.

He came closer. "What do you want?"

__

How can I tell him it's me? I wondered hopelessly. _I don't remember how to read and write, and I can't talk!_

Memory came back in a flash; Dad was giving our class a lecture for Career day. 

__

"The most ancient of languages used pictures for words and letters. Often, modern characters have evolved from the old symbols they used."

Pictures—that's it!

I hurriedly pulled out a piece of chalk I'd picked up and went to the wall. Biting my lip, I tried to draw my face on the rough stone surface. 

Syaoran came to the wall I was scratching at and looked at the drawing from his side of the bars. When I lowered my hand, he stared at it, then said, "Sakura?"

I nodded emphatically. _It's me!_

"You know Sakura?"

I nearly smacked my forehead. _No! I'M SAKURA!_

"Is she a friend of yours?"

I shook my head and pointed to myself, trying to tell him it was me.

"You aren't friends with her? Then why are you here?"

I shook my head again. This was going nowhere fast. 

__

Wait a sec. You have no magic, you look nothing like yourself, and you can't talk—but if he doesn't know it's me, there might be some advantagesBesides, I can't prove it's me

"Are you friends with her or not?"

I nodded.

"You're friends with her," he confirmed, and I nodded again. "Is she okay?" Nod again. "Did she get the Spirit's acceptance?" Shake. "Why aren't you talking?"

__

I can't, I mouthed.

"What?"

Gritting my teeth in frustration, I drew a stick figure with its mouth open and lines coming from it, then drew a big _x_ on the neck.

"You can't speak?"

I nodded again. 

"Can you write?"

I shook my head. _If only Ivery hadn't taken my writing and reading away_

"Why are you here?"

__

Time for more Pictionary I drew a stick figure on the wall, and a box around him with bars over it.

"Me?"

I nodded, then drew another stick figure running out of the box.

"You want to help me get out?" At my nod, he asked, "How can you?"

I shrugged, then drew another picture. This one had a figure in a big, puffy dress and a mean look on her face. She was pointing at one with braids and a sad frown, and the one in the dress was yelling and looking mad. The one that represented me was scrubbing the floor.

"You're Ebonay's slave?"

I nodded.

"But how can I trust you? Are you going to tell her?"

I gave him a look. 

He winced. "Sorry, that was a dumb question." 

__

No shit, Sherlock A thought occurred to me, and I drew a room with lots of tiny spheres in it. To the side was Ebonay holding a sphere, and a stick figure with its mouth open. An arrow went from the mouth to the sphere.

"She puts your voices in the globes?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Why tell me this?"

__

BECAUSE I WANT MY VOICE BACK! I nearly screamed with frustration and I was running out of wall spaceBiting back irritation, I drew a braided figure with her mouth open and squiggly lines coming out.

"You want your voice back?"

__

No duh _That and my magic and my memories of how to read and write_ I drew yet another picture on the wall. This one showed a mad-looking figure chained to the wall, while stick-Ebonay laughed. His hand was pointing at an open door with the spheres inside, and it was exploding.

"You want me to help you? But I can't use my magic here, she's got some kind of chain thing I can't get out of."

__

I think I'm going to snap 

After another hour or so of mixed vocal and graphic conversation, I had to go back. By then, we'd established something of a game plan: I would try to get the keys from Ebonay, and then we could get my voice back. And my magic and reading and writing, but he didn't know that. 

It was a few hours before dawn when I climbed back in the window, exhausted, and fell to the pallet, out like a light.

The morning was hellish, along with the rest of the day. As far as I could tell, there wasn't a single moment she didn't have the keys around her neck, and I couldn't get them. I was getting more and more angered about not having my voice by the minute.

Then, five days later, opportunity came a-knocking. Of course, it wasn't under the best of circumstances.

I was dusting in Ebonay's bedroom when she called the guards. "Get the prisoner." She pulled a key from her necklace and handed it to them, and they strode away. "This time, I shall break him Go away, Laira. I will need my privacy."

I knew exactly what she was talking about, and it made me want to throw up, but more important was the fact that the guards had the key to Syaoran's cell. When her back was turned, I slipped into the hall and ran after them.

"Pu!"

I stopped, incredulous. _Did I just hear what I thought I heard?_

"Pu! Puu!" Rokona leapt into my arms and thrust something into my hand.

It was the glove from my armor—the one my sword was in.

I had a million questions I wanted to ask her, but my voice still wasn't going to work.

"Pu! Pu, puu!" 'I'm going to get the rest of your armor! You get Syaoran out!' She bounded away before I could respond, and I pulled the glove on, then drew my sword and went after the guards. It was feather-light in my hands as I rounded a corner and found them. 

"What the—"

I waded in, and in a minute they were all unconscious. I took the key from the leader's hand and headed to the dungeons.

Syaoran was throwing rocks at the wall when I strode in. He took one look at me; then his eyes landed on the silver sword in my hand. "That's Sakura's sword!"

__

Naw, you think? I waved at him to back away, then swung it towards the bars in two swift, forceful swipes. For a split second, they stayed whole. Then there was a clatter as they fell to the ground.

"How did you do that?" Syaoran stood, his eyes now worried and suspicious. "Where did you get Sakura's sword?"

__

I don't have time for this! I gave him a look that said 'We talk _later_' and jerked my head towards the open corridor, indicating for him to follow me.

We got to the iron door, but before I could push it open—the password was only required when she wasn't inside—it swung towards us.

There stood Ebonay, smiling viciously. She yanked us both inside, then let go and backhanded me into a wall. My head hit the stone floor with a crack, and dizziness overwhelmed me while I tried to regain my composure.

"Leave her alone!" Syaoran yelled.

She ignored him. "Little bitch. I knew you were tricky." Walking over to the fallen sword, she picked it up. There was a blinding flash, and with a howl, she let it go. 

"No matter," she panted through clenched teeth, clutching a red palm. "You both will diebut after I'm done with _you,_ pet." With a grin on her face, she started advancing towards Syaoran.

__

No!

I want my voice backI want my magic backI want it all back

He backed away, but more chains appeared out of nowhere and he was lashed to the wall again as she came closer. 

"You _are_ quite a prize, boy" she cooed.

__

No!

"Quitedelectable." She licked her lips.

__

NO! I tried to yell, and to my surprise, a soft murmur came from my throat. "N"

She ran a hand through his hair as he flinched.

"G"

Smiling, she yanked him closer to her and kissed him again.

"_GET AWAY FROM HIM!"_

My voicemy voice is back!

I gasped, shocked, and my hand flew to my throat. She pulled away from him and they both stared at me.

__

"What did you just say?" Ebonay demanded.

There wasn't any time to waste. I picked up the sword and got to my feet. "I said get away from him!"

__

"Sakura?!" Syaoran asked incredulously. 

"No kidding," I said distractedly. My voice creaked slightly with disuse, but it was my _own_—not Laira's, not the voice of a cringing little whelp, but my _own. _

There was one problem: my magic was still in the sphere.

I charged Ebonay, swinging the sword at her, and she dodged. I used her temporary distraction to hack through the chains binding Syaoran to the wall. "Do something! I don't have my magic!"

"Stone Heart!" Gold power swirled around her in a funnel, and she turned into a statue. "It's only temporary!" Syaoran ran over to me. "But what the _hell_—"

"Not now." I turned away. "I need to get my magic back—and everyone's voices—"

Walking over to the statue, I pulled the necklace off and tried key after key on the lock to the Voice Room. 

"Sakura, there isn't much time—"

"I know! I'm going!"

I slid another key into the hole and turned it—and the door opened. 

There were thousands of orbs inside. _How am I going to find mine?_

"Pu! Puu pu!" 'Just destroy them all! Everything will be set free!' Rokona bounced into the room. Indigo light shot from her forehead, wrapping around me, and my armor came back.

"Move," Syaoran ordered. I stepped aside, and he blew the room up.

Thousands of multi-colored streaks of light shot out, flying all over. I was watching them, fascinated, when something silver hit me and I could feel my magic back. 

Then Ebonay started turning back into flesh.

"Come on!" I shattered the large window with a vase. "Star Flight!" The wings sprouted, and I picked up Rokona and shot out, Syaoran on my heels. Soon, we reached the flying soup-bowl where it was hovering outside the palace. I landed inside, Syaoran dropping in a moment later, and the wings vanished from both of our backs. The soup bowl took off, and we soared away.

There was stunned silence, and the spells Ivery had put on me to affect my appearance vanished.

After a minute, I said wearily, "I'm never going to let you hear the end of that, you know. 'Are you going to tell her,' honestlyI was a freaking mute! What was I gonna do, sing like a canary?"

"It was a dumb question! I admit that!" he protested. "But how the _hell_ did you end up as a slave for her?"

"Her sister caught me after she kidnapped you. She took my voice, my magic, and my memories of how to read and write, then messed with my appearance and gave me to Ebonay as a slave."

"Ouch." He winced appreciatively. "And then, four days later, you found me in the cell—" He started laughing. "God, I was such a dumbass."

"Do you have any idea of how frustrating that conversation was?" I demanded. "I never even liked Pictionary! And you weren't that much of a help either!"

He opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly there was a roaring of something big—and dark—and evil—

There was an enormous boom, and the craft shook. A chill ran up my spine as I realized exactly what it was.

"Chaos," Syaoran said lowly. "He's in Sendelvon."

The rest of the ride was fairly quiet. Neither of us really wanted to talk after finding that the evil force we were supposed to kill had arrived and was now going to be waiting for us.

Soon, we landed at the Shrine of the Stars again. The familiar silver fire lifted me up and away, and a moment later, I was standing in front of Astrendal once more.

She gave me a look. **You have returned.**

"I need to become a true Magic Knight," I whispered. 

****

Very well. Show me the proof, and I will accept your heart.

"Back again, dear?"

I whirled around, breaking out of the trance, and found both Ivery and Ebonay standing between the columns. _"You._"

"None other," Ebonay said lightly. "This time, you die."

"Sakura!" The bowl landed nearby and Syaoran jumped out.

"You were right, Ebonay," Ivery said thoughtfully. "He _is_ a babe." 

"Well, we have to deal with the girl first," her sister replied sadly. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

I dodged a hail of ice and fireballs, then spun and threw my arms out towards them. "Silver Nova!"

Fiery white power blasted at them, but they vanished and reappeared a few feet away. I didn't even have time to duck.

Raw magic hit me in a roaring fury, and I was sent flying head-over-heels. 

"Gold—"

****

Do not interfere. Astrendal's voice cut Syaoran off. **This is her fight.**

I dragged myself to my feet, bracing myself on my sword. A gash on my thigh was bleeding heavily.

"Still want to fight?" Another hail of ice shot at me. 

I managed to duck from most of them, but one sliced into my leg and another thudded into my shoulder. Holding in a whimper of pain, I yanked the one in my arm out, feeling the razor-sharp edges cut into my palm.

Another shower of ice knocked me flat again. I slid across the smooth floor, then hit a column and stopped. My back was laced in pain, a scarlet smear marking my path across the glassy surface. 

I painfully stood up again.

"Well, she gets an 'A' for effort," Ivery said cheerfully. "But an 'F' for failure." Magic pinned me to the column, agony racing through my bones.

__

I haveto fight back

But I don't know if I can

"S-S-SilverNova!" I raised my hands weakly, and the power flashed out, knocking them back again. They stumbled, but not even a mark was left to show they were anywhere near hurt. 

"Weak" Ebonay sighed. "Well, sister, let's wrap this up."

"Absolutely." They joined hands, and power of an ugly orange-brown shade formed in the center of their joined hands. A blast knocked me down again. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the final blow as the magic crackled and roared. The power was enough to kill me when I was this weak.

My eyes opened of their own will, and I saw the beam of evil magic bearing down towards me. I sat up, ignoring the pain. _I won't die lying down_

Then something darted in front of me, and was thrown back by the impact as the beam of orange-brown light struck him.

__

"Syaoran!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran

I watched as Sakura was getting beaten up. "I can't just sit here and watch this," I muttered to myself. "Gold—"

****

Do not interfere. The magic in my hands disappeared. **This is her fight.**

"But—"

"Puu!" 'Relax! She's the Starfire Knight, she'll be fine!'

I scowled unhappily. This was _not_ looking good Ice shards hurled themselves at her, and one buried itself in her shoulder as I winced. I had to swallow when she yanked it out. _My god_

She was sent flying again, and this time, there was a red streak across the floor, marking where she'd slid.

__

This is really not looking good

She slammed into a column, and a trickle of blood fell from her mouth.

__

How long can she keep this up?

She stood unsteadily. "S-S-Silver Nova!"

The sisters were hardly fazed by the normally destructive spell.

"Weakwell, let's wrap this up." 

"Absolutely." They joined hands, and a small, evil-looking ball of power started growing between them.

__

That's powerful enough to kill her

No! That can't happen!

There was a blast, but it was only to stun her. 

I started running. _I don't care what that overgrown My-Little-Pony says, I **won't** let her get killed!_

****

I am NOT an overgrown My-Little-Pony!

The beam of light shot out as she sat up weakly. 

__

I can't let her die!

I planted myself in front of her, and the spell hit me in the shoulder. 

__

"Syaoran!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

He fell back and I caught him, shocked. There was a huge, bloody hole in his shoulder, and I swallowed in horror. "No"

"Sakura" He forced his eyes open. "Are you all right?" 

"Am _I_ all right?" I asked weakly. "Syaoran"

His eyes closed again, and I seized his wrist, feeling frantically for a pulse. "Syaoran, don't die on meoh god, don't die on me" There was a faint, uneven heartbeat under my fingers—faint, but it was _there,_ and that was what mattered.

"Well, that was stupid," Ebonay said bitterly.

"No kidding." Ivery scowled. "Now he's going to die."

I clenched my palms, feeling my fingernails dig into soft flesh. _Theythey hurt him_

They hurt Syaoran!

Blazing power flashed through the air, and my hand shot up. It gathered there, and the words came to me for my final, most powerful spell.

__

"Starfire Inferno!"

There was a soundless explosion that rocked the temple. When the spots cleared from my eyes, I could see Ivery and Ebonay, scorched and ragged and on their knees.

"Youlittle whelp" Ivery panted.

"You're uglyno one will _ever_ love you" added Ebonay.

I swallowed. _Ugly? Noone?_

"You can'tsave your friends"

__

Syaoran They hurt him

"STARFIRE INFERNO!"

They vanished in a column of fire.

__

Syaoran

I knelt by him and took his hand in my own. "You can't die"

****

Wind and Water are the matches to Starfire, Astrendal said serenely. **Any spell for them is also a spell you can use.**

Memory came back to me; the day we'd returned from getting the Escudo.

__

"Ow!"

__

What's the matter?" _Fuu picked up Umi's hand and inspected the thin scratch on it. "Hold onHealing Winds!" Green fire sparkled around her fingertips, and the flesh sealed cleanly._

Healing Winds—that's the spell

I drew on my power, and the words rang in my mind. "Wind, aid Starfire!" 

Green-shot silver crackled from my palm, whirling around Syaoran. There was a flash, and the gaping wound in his shoulder was gone. A minute later, he sat up.

I watched in fascination as the armor and our swords started flaring up again, but this time, it was different. It was like this was the final step or something.

Silvery light whirled around me, and I felt like I was flying. Star-studded blackness became my world for a split second, and then reality settled. 

****

Magic Knight, I accept the strength of your feelings as proof. Silver flames roared up around Astrendal's figure, and then in her place was an immense robotic mecha. I wasn't even the size of her finger. 

There was a flash of gold over my shoulder. I whirled and saw Syaoran behind me, holding the long, golden sword. _Not just **a **sword,_ something in my mind said. _It's the Griffyn Sword._

And speaking of swords

I looked down and saw the Escudo sword had evolved again. And I swallowed.

Eight feet of shining silver—perfect and intricate, with a green orb on the end of the hilt and several more stones set into it, all either green or blue. Here and there, there was some gold trim. It was the Unicorn Sword.

It was also the sword from my dream.

__

It's gotta be some kind of coincidence, I thought blankly. _It **has** to be some kind of coincidence._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran

I blacked out for a second. When I came back, she was bending over me, her eyes filled with tears. 

"Sakura" I didn't want her to cry "Are you all right?"

"Am _I_ all right?" She bit her lip and swallowed. "Syaoran"

Then the pain made me black out again.

I could tell the battle was still going on, but it was only on an unconscious level. Then Ivery and Ebonay's presence vanished, and I could tell she had won. _Good for her_

There was a pause, and then another flare of magic came. This kind was half-strange, and I got the image of _Fuu_ in my mind.

Then I was awake again, and I sat up.

The armor and the swords started flashing again, but this time, it felt like this was as far as they could go—that they wouldn't change at all after this.

Gold fire filled me, and I felt like I was in the heart of a volcano. Back among the Stone—that was where I was at home. The power roared and thundered around me, its fury unrivaled but for a silver column of fire to my right.

Reality returned, and I opened my eyes to find myself in a strange new outfit. _This looks likes something Tomoyo would come up with if she was taking steroidsThat is, assuming she isn't already_

White-silver fire roared up around the unicorn's figure, and a moment later, it turned into a giant Mashin. 

Sakura turned around, and it was all I could do to keep my eyes from popping out. For one thing, she was holding a sword _eight feet long_ like it was no more than a feather.

And for another, she was absolutely gorgeous in her armor.

__

Don't look at her legs. Don't look at her legs. Oh god, don't look at her legs.

My eyes were traveling down

__

No! No!

OH MY **GOD.**

Are Legendary Magic Knights supposed to have skirts that short?

NO! DON'T LOOK AT HER LEGS!

I swiftly averted my eyes, feeling a blush cover my face. A gold-red light shot from the gemstone on my chest, and Terronen appeared.

****

Young people from another world, summoned by the Seven. Your hearts are ready. Don us now, and become true Magic Knights.

The combined voices of the two Mashin rang in my mind, and there was a burst of light as the Griffyn Sword and Unicorn Sword each had a symbol appear in front of them. I disappeared, then materialized in a clear sphere with a glyph on the front.

Sakura was in one nearby. Her cheeks reddened for some reason, and she stammered, "L-l-let's go!"

"Go where?" I asked.

"UmTo kill the big, evil, bad guy!" she said brightly.

"Sakura, aren't you the least bit tired from this all?" 

"Nope!"

I crossed my arms. "I think you are. Let's find a place to spend the night and stay there, okay?"

She frowned. "I'm not" Her eyes closed, and she fell over. Sighing, I walked over and picked her up. 

"Can you take us back to the palace?" I asked.

Terronen moved off, and Astrendal followed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

Red-gold light shot out from a red stone on Syaoran's armor, and then the Griffyn materialized in front of us.

****

Young people from another world, summoned by the Seven. Your hearts are ready. Don us now, and become true Magic Knights.

The Unicorn Sword got a strange glyph in front of it, as did the Griffyn Sword. There was a burst of light, and I found myself in a sphere on a different dimension.

__

Is this the inside of a Spirit?

Syaoran appeared close by, and I got a good look at him. _God, he's hot in that armor_ My cheeks burned, and I said hastily, "L-l-let's go!"

"Go where?" he asked confusedly.

"UmTo kill the big, evil, bad guy!" I said cheerfully.

"Sakura, aren't you the least bit tired from this all?" he asked skeptically.

"Nope!"

Syaoran crossed his arms. "I think you are. Let's find a place to spend the night and stay there, okay?"

I frowned, my head starting to feel fuzzy. "I'm not" Everything went black

__

Am I flying?

It felt like I was

But it wasn't right; like I was flying sideways.

And something was holding me

I was too tired to care right now, though. Instead, I just leaned my head on whatever it was, glad it was warm, and went back to sleep.

When I woke up again, I was in a bed and staring at a ceiling high overhead. For a minute, I didn't know where I was.

"PUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!" Rokona landed on my stomach.

"OH MY **GOD!**" I sat bolt upright and glared at her, my heart pounding. "Don't _do_ that!"

"Pu! Puu! Pu!" she said happily.

I looked out the window and saw it was morning again; my head was aching fiercely. _I must be in the palace._ "I need a bath" I muttered sullenly. The floor was cold under my bare feet as I climbed out and went to the closet, getting a clean set of clothes. _I don't want to be awake right now_

Still grumbling under my breath, I went into the bathroom and took a long bath. It helped my headache.

When I got out, I put my regular armor on. It seemed I had to be in the Spirit to get the crazy outfitIn my opinion, the horn on the headband was a little much, but I would have to live with it until I could go back.

__

Jeez, I'm hungrytime for breakfast Now where were the kitchens again?

I ducked out the door and strode down the hall, my boots tapping quietly on the smooth stone floor. The scent of pancakes filled my nose, and I smiled broadly. _Looks like somebody brought a little bit of Earth back with them!_

I turned a corner and found myself at a big room. Along one wall was a long counter with an oven, stove, and a sink in it, where Umi was flipping pancakes. For a kitchen in another world, it looked fairly normal. A pang of homesickness made me wince inwardly, but I ignored it.

"Mmm-mm!" I strode in cheerfully. "That smells great!"

"Help yourself." Fuu pushed a plate stacked high towards me.

I picked up a plate and some silverware, and sat across from her. "How's it going?"

"Good," Hikaru said, leaning on the counter and sipping coffee. "Syaoran says you guys had a rough time getting to the Shrines."

I rolled my eyes. "That's the understatement of the year."

"What happened?" Ferio asked sympathetically.

"Well, for starters, this insane man-hunter knocked us out of the air in the middle of the ocean. He trapped us in his house, and then I had to run from him for three days in a row or else Syaoran would die and I would be stuck there forever. I won and—" I cringed "—I had to kill him, but then when I went back to the house to get Syaoran, the crazy guy had turned him to stone."

Ferio smacked his forehead. "That sucks"

"So then I had to get him out of that—"

"How did you do that?" Clef asked curiously.

I blushed. "Don't ask—just trust me, it wasn't fun." _Actually, it was, but_

"So what happened after that?"

"Well, we went to the Stone Temple, and Syaoran got pulled in, and the whole time I had been hearing this voice in my head that was saying I was evil, right? Well, while Syaoran was gone, the guy who'd been doing that to me came and caught me, and a bunch of stuff happened, and then Syaoran got me out and we killed him. And then the Griffyn spirit thing turned into a Mashin, and our armors and swords evolved. And then we went to the Shrine of the Stars, and Astrendal told me to show her proof of a strong heart, and then this evil lady came down and kidnapped Syaoran. And I got really upset, and then this one lady who was her sister made me look different and took my voice and magic and then gave me to the evil lady as a slave. I had to work for a while for her, and then I got out at night and found Syaoran but I couldn't talk to him or write, so I had to do Pictionary and it sucked. But then Rokona came and gave me the glove with my sword and I got the key to the cell and got him out, and we went to kill the evil lady but then she surprised us and then she started messing with Syaoran. I got really mad and I got my voice back, and then I started fighting her and Syaoran turned her to stone and we gave everybody their voices back and I got my magic and writing back. We flew away, and then we went back to the Shrine and I fought the lady and her sister and Syaoran got hurt but then I learned two new spells and he didn't die and they did die and we got the Mashin and then I passed out and that's about it."

"That _does_ suck," said Umi. "Well, it's almost over. You just have to get rid of that one guy, and then you guys can go home."

"About that battle" Fuu began. Clef looked over at her sharply.

"Yes?" I asked confusedly around a mouthful of pancake. _Is there something they know?_

"It will bedifficult," she said awkwardly. "Very difficult. Don't lose your head."

Clef sat back. "She's right."

"Okay" I said slowly. "Well, I'm done." Standing, I rinsed off my dishes and put them in the drying rack. "I'm going for a walk."

"Okay, try not to get lost." Presea grinned.

I stuck my tongue out and walked out the door.

I ended up wandering around the palace and going to the gardens to think. What Ebonay and Ivery had said was bothering me. Was I really that ugly? They had both certainly seemed to think so

What if Syaoran thought I was ugly, and he was too nice to say anything?

A lump rose in my throat. _What if he does think I'm ugly?_ That would just about kill me

I stared at my reflection in the pond. _Am I ugly? Am I really ugly, like they said?_

Soft footsteps came nearer, and I sat up. _Who is that?_

Syaoran came around the corner, saw me, jumped, cursed in Mandarin, and ran a hand through already wild hair. "God, I nearly had a heart attackdon't _do_ that!"

__

Did I scare him because I'm ugly? "Good morning to you too," I said dryly. "You sure know how to make an entrance."

"Sorry" He sat down on a bench nearby. "When did you wake up?"

I shrugged. "A little while ago. Did you get something to eat?"

"Yeah." 

"Will the wonders never cease," I said sarcastically. "Was it more than an apple seed?"

He smirked and looked away. "Don't push your luck."

I sighed exasperatedly. "Syao_ran_Anorexia is _not_ an option!"

He cocked an eyebrow. "And neither is obesity."

"YOU AREN'T FAT!" I yelled. "For the love of Mike, Syaoran, you _never eat!_"

"I did this morning, didn't I?" he asked pointedly.

"Yeah, you had an apple seed!"

"Maybe if I'm lucky, it'll grow into an apple tree in my stomach."

My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "NO WAY!"

"I'm _joking,_ Sakura"

"Hmph." I scowled at him. "You can't starve yourself! There's plenty of food!" Seeing a fruit-dotted bush nearby, I scrambled over and plucked one from its stem, then threw it at him. "Eat it!"

He threw it back. "I'm not hungry."

I caught it and glared at him. "Don't make me come over there."

His only response was to raise another eyebrow.

"I'm serious!" White fire sparked around my fingertips. 

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, huh?" He started glowing gold. 

"All you have to do is eat the damn fruit." I threw it to him again.

He smirked, and the round, peach-ish fruit burst into flames mid-flight.

__

"Syaoran!" Then inspiration struck, and I turned my back to him. "Oh, I get it. You just don't like it cuz _I_ gave it to you," I huffed, seemingly hurt and pouting. _The guilt trip,_ I thought smugly. _It always works._

"What?!"

"Admit it." I made my voice tremble a little and sniffed loudly. "You would've eaten it if I hadn't given it to youyou just don't like me"

"What—No, Sakura, I—"

"You _hate_ me!" _Okay, that might have been a bit much Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh_ I sniffed again.

"I don't hate you!"

"Then prove it," I said sulkily, picking another one off the bush and sullenly tossing it over my shoulder in his general direction. "Eat that."

I heard several grumbled curses in Mandarin, followed by something that translated roughly into 'How do I get myself into these kind of things?' There was a crunch, and he mumbled, "There! Are you _happy_ now?"

I turned around, smiling brightly. "Yep! Now eat the rest!"

He sighed wearily and ran a hand through his hair, muttering something under his breath.

I studied my reflection in the pool again, lying lazily on my stomach. An hour or so had passed, and there was nothing better to do than lie around and daydream daydream and wonder

__

Does he think I'm ugly?

"What are you thinking about?" Syaoran asked from where he was leaning against a tree trunk, eyes half-closed.

"Not much," I lied. "Juststuff." A leaf fell on the smooth surface, ripples spreading out from where it had landed and distorting the face I saw. There was a long pause; then my mouth and voice acted of their own accord. "Syaoran?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'm ugly?"

His eyes flew open and he sat straight up. _"What?!"_

"Do you think I'm ugly?" I repeated, my heart in my throat.

He blinked and got an odd look on his face. After a minute, he swallowed and looked away, saying quietly, "Sakura, you're beautiful."

My heart stopped, but after a minute it started pounding like crazy. _He thinks beautiful?_ It took my mind a little bit to register that completely. 

The words rang in my ears as I blushed hotly.

For a minute, heaven was here in this garden.

And then all hell broke loose. 

The sky turned a dark, roiling black. Dark lightning cracked down, striking the palace, and whirlwinds swept in.

I shrieked and covered my face, getting as low to the ground as possible. _What the hell—?! Where did this come from?!_

Roaring filled my ears, and my eyes snapped open. To my horror, a whirlwind was rapidly impending down towards us—

And then it dropped down—

On Syaoran.

"SYAORAN!" I scrambled to my feet as it lifted him away. "SYAORAN!"

I heard a last, final shout of _"Sakura!_" 

And he was gone.

"Sakura!"

Presea, Geo, and the others came running towards me.

All the others—except for seven.

"They're gone!" Caldina said frantically.

"Who?" I asked swiftly. "Who all are gone?"

"The Seven—Umi, Fuu, Hikaru, Clef, Ferio, Ascot, and Lantis!" said Eagle. His gold eyes blazed.

Presea gasped, looking like some horrifying notion had struck her. "The Seven—gone—can't pray for Sendelvon!"

As if in response, an earthquake shook the gardens.

"Get in the palace!" Geo yelled. "It's protected against this kind of thing!"

The land churned, storm clouds boiling up. Vegetation died before my eyes.

To my surprise, when we staggered back inside, thousands of people—human or not—were already pouring in. The building was more than large enough to hold them, but they were coming from _everywhere._ I saw some Eltayzin, some forest sprites, and more creatures from desert, ocean, ice caps, and all over the land. 

"They set up a transportation system in case this ever happened," Lafarga explained. 

"Where's Syaoran?" asked Zazu.

"He—he was kidnapped too," I stammered, a lump rising in my throat.

Presea bit her lip. "This isn't goodThe Seven and you two Magic Knights are the only ones with _really_ strong magic in Sendelvon. This has got to be Chaos."

"But why didn't he take me?" I asked confusedly.

"I don't know" she said thoughtfully.

There was tense silence. I broke it.

"I'm going after them." There was a new, steely, coolly calm edge in my voice. I had to get them back. I was the Starfire Knight; it was my duty to help Sendelvon. They were simple truths.

"What?!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Sakura!"

I ignored their protests. "I _have_ to get them back." When stubborn shakes of their heads met my words, I held up my hand, pointedly showing them the back of my hand, where the gem that kept the Unicorn Sword was. "Anyone want to try to stop me? It won't be fun."

They exchanged uneasy glances. "Sakura, like, think about it," Caldina started.

"I thought about it already. The land's cracking. It'll be destroyed if it isn't supported, you told me that. Syaoran and I are the only ones who can beat Chaos now, and I have to get him and the others free. I don't have a choice, and I'm not going to back away now just because the stakes got a little higher." _I just made a speech, didn't I?_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chaos smiled at his captives. _They are a fine prizefine, indeed_ With a twist of his claw, he sent the Seven down to the dungeons. _I have no need of them nowthey cannot pray for Sendelvon, and so it will slowly break apartBut the Stone Knight; he is a different matter entirely_

And he shall be **quite** useful

Smiling grimly, he brought the boy up to the hall. 

__

Quite useful, to be sure

"What do you want with us?" the boy snarled, his eyes snapping with fury.

He smirked and didn't reply.

"Answer me!" He shifted into a fighting stance as Chaos stood. "What do—"

The shout was cut off abruptly. There was a dark flash; then all there was in the enormous hall was silence.

Chaos turned and sat once more in the chair.

__

The Starfire Knight will be coming soon, he reflected. _And she will have quite the surprise_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

"Sakura, be careful." Presea gripped my hands. "Come back to us."

"I'll try," I promised. "I'll try."

I solemnly shook hands with everybody, and Caldina hugged me. 

"Good bye, everybody." I smiled weakly. "They're coming back, I swear." White-silver fire flared as I shouted, "Star Flight!"

The wings shot out, and I took off, soaring towards where I felt the evil coming from. 

__

Chaos, you're going down, I swore silently. _And if you touch one hair on Syaoran's head, nothing will stand between me and sending you to hell._

After an hour of flying, I landed in front of the castle. Suddenly, I realized I hadn't seen Rokona since she'd woken me up this morning. _She always manages to keep herself safe, though, so she'll be okay._

I strode toward the giant black fortress. Jagged peaks thrust from the building, making it look as though a large, rectangular building had been dropped on a bed of spikes; but they were really part of the castle. In the center, there was a giant dome, and the evil was coming from there.

__

I have to find Umi and Fuu and the others first, I decided reluctantly. _Sendelvon can't hold up under this for much longer._

I strode to the nearest wall and felt for the presence of any guards. There were none; Chaos was either purposely careless or so powerful he felt he didn't need any. 

"Shooting Starfire!" 

The white-silver fire burned a hole in the wall, and I walked through.

__

I can't lose my head, I told myself over and over again. _Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm._

Fuu? Hikaru? Umi? Where are you guys?

I sent my magic out, looking for their auras. There—emerald-green, sapphire-blue, and ruby-red, along with icy blue, darker green, sky blue, and yellow-gold. 

I ran down the hall, sprinting towards them. 

"Who's there?" Ferio's voice echoed down the hall.

"Me—Sakura!" I turned a corner. "Hold on, I'm coming!"

"Sakura?" Umi's voice sounded slightly panicked. 

"Yeah!" I found their cell. "Hold on, I'm going to see if I can cut through the bars."

Pulling out the Unicorn Sword, I swung it experimentally at one iron rod. There was a ring, and it stayed whole. "Damn," I muttered under my breath. "Everybody, get to one side of the cell. I'm going to try to burn through." They hurriedly pressed to the left wall, and I started throwing Starfire at the bars, but nothing worked.

"Sakura, stop," Clef said after I'd tried Silver Nova for the fifth time. Starfire Inferno took too much energy to use, and I didn't think it would work. "You're only exhausting yourself."

"But—you guys"

"Go get Syaoran," Umi ordered. "Kill Chaos, and then the two of you can work on getting us out of here."

"But—"

"Go!" Hikaru insisted. 

I bit my lip, then said, "I promise I'll come back for you."

"GO!" Umi yelled. "Don't make me go any more Hell-bitch than I already am!"

I took off.

The sense of evil led me through a labyrinth of corridors and narrow, dark tunnels. I took a torch from one clawed holder and ran as fast as I could, my magic replenishing along the way. The Unicorn Sword was feather-light in my hand as I wound through tunnel after tunnel. Each one blurred into the next as I ran, always toward that one, inexorable evil

And then I came out into the hall.

Not just any hall, but _the_ hall.

The dark arches curved far overhead, the giant dome directly over a dais. A chair, shaped like an egg with a section cut out of it, was in the direct center, with its back to me.

"Where's Syaoran?" I demanded. 

There was no response.

"Face me!" I yelled, bringing up the sword. "Tell me where he is!"

There was no response as I strode to the base, then leapt up the stairs. Someone was in that chair—was it Chaos?

__

If it is, and I'm this close, then I am truly and royally screwed

My footsteps tapped faintly on the glossy black marble floor. I was all of five feet from the chair now

"Where is he?" I demanded, the Unicorn Sword shining in my hand. "Where's Syaoran?"

The chair turned to face me ever so slowly, its occupant's face hidden behind the twisted, hideous mask. And then a gloved hand was raised, and it grasped the edge and lifted it away. 

I gasped in shock and horror at the familiar face, twisted into a terrifying, grim smile.

"Right here."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CLIFFHANGER! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

See? THIS is why I killed him off twice in Shin no Chikara! He's EVIL! EVIL, DAMMIT! EEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!


	8. First Star I See Tonight

Stone and Starfire

Stone and Starfire

Chapter Seven: First Star I See Tonight

Froynlayven. (That's 'I don't own this' in the language of Fat Lithuanian Midgets.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

"Where is he?" I demanded, the Unicorn Sword shining in my hand. "Where's Syaoran?"

The chair turned to face me ever so slowly, its occupant's face hidden behind a twisted, hideous mask. And then a gloved hand was raised, and it grasped the edge and lifted it away. I gasped in shock and horror at the familiar face, twisted into a terrifying, grim smile.

"Right here."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"No!" I stumbled back. "It can't be true!"

"Oh, it is," he assured me, standing. The mask fell to the ground with a clatter. "It is, my dear Sakura."

__

Did he just call me 'dear'?

That isn't important right now!

"No," I repeated, my voice ragged, my breath coming in harsh gasps. "No. It isn't true." 

But there was truth enough in those cold, cold eyes.

There was a flash of gold as he drew the Griffyn sword. "Fight me."

"No." I backed further away. "I won't."

"Come on, Sakura!" he yelled. "Fight me!"

"No!" 

My heel met air, and with a shriek I fell down the steps leading up the sides of the dais. Starbursts filled my eyes as I sat up painfully, feeling as though I'd broken everything. 

It was the glint of gold, catching my eye, that saved me. I looked up in time to see Syaoran bring his sword down in a wide, sweeping arc and blocked it hastily. Gold met silver with a harsh clang, and he forced down. Muscles straining, I strove to hold mine up against his. _Why is he doing this?_ _Why?_ The golden blade slowly inched nearer; I wasn't strong enough to hold him off much longer

"Why?" Tears came into my vision as I whispered the word out loud, knowing I was going to die. "Why, Syaoran?"

His eyes widened, and something flickered in them. He seemed to be struggling with something, but what? Where had I seen this before? He flinched, then shut his eyes completely, sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Leave me alone," he growled softly—who was he talking to? "Leave me _alone!_"

I swiftly slid away, getting to my feet. After a moment, he straightened, then saw me and charged. I blocked it and backed away, still on the defensive. 

"Fight back!" he shouted. "Fight me back, Sakura!"

"I _won't!_" I insisted_. "I won't fight you!_" 

There was no reply. It was true. I wouldn't—couldn't—fight him.

The tip of the sword grazed my cheek, opening a thin gash, and I gasped in the sudden sting. He used my surprise to thrust forward, and I hastily swung the Unicorn Sword up in defense. Maybe I could call Astrendal, but would she be able to keep me from Terronen? And what of Syaoran?

"Terronen!" Syaoran yelled, calling his Mashin. There was a golden flare as the Griffyn Sword flashed and he disappeared. A moment later, the Spirit materialized in the hall and a giant, taloned foot came thundering down towards me. 

I dove away, rolling over and over the minute I hit the ground. A giant hand picked me up and flung me into a wall, my back hitting the cold, smooth stone with a smack. I slid down it, pain lacing through me. By now, my leg had a long, jagged cut running down it; the other had a deep gauge on my thigh; there was a painful scrape on my temple, a gash in my arm that was sluggishly oozing blood, a deep cut on my other shoulder, a thin line of scarlet bleeding lightly across my wrist, and the cut on my cheek dribbling blood down my chin. That wasn't even counting the bruises I'd gained in my multiple falls. It wasn't even a matter of why Syaoran was doing this to me now; it was a matter of getting out of this alive.

I looked up to see the sword, now immense but still razor-sharp, sweeping towards me. I was cornered; there was nowhere to go. 

I screamed. Screamed out of pain. Screamed out of fear. Screamed out of heartache.

And I screamed out a name.

"_Astrendal!"_

Silver light yanked me up, and the sword cleaved through stone with a crunch. In a moment, my Mashin had materialized and I was on the fighting plane.

Syaoran stood there, his golden armor shining and the sphere around him clear as glass, like mine. From here, we could see all of Sendelvon and all of Sendelvon could see us.

I still would not fight him.

I saw the sword barely before it bit deeply into my arm, then slid away, crimson staining the gold. Blood oozed out of the wound, dripping onto silver cloth and disappearing. I gripped it with a white-gloved hand, trying to slow the bleeding, and gritted my teeth against the pain. My fist shook, the Unicorn Sword still clasped tightly in it. 

"Wind," I whispered. "Aid Starfire." There was a gentle green glow, and the flesh sealed. 

I brought the sword up, preparing for the next attack, but he was nowhere in sight.

__

Sakura, look out!

Who—what—? I ducked, stunned, and a blade swung over where my head had been. I knew that voice

Turning, I caught a glimpse of him behind me before a hand gripped my throat and squeezed, hard. I couldn't breathe as Syaoran lifted me off my feet by the neck. A flash of silver flickered in the corner of my vision, and there was a clatter as the sword fell to the ground. My fingers desperately clawed at his, locked around my throat, but fabric slipped against more fabric and I couldn't pry them away. My vision started fading as I stared at him, horrified and heartbroken. _Syaoran, what happened to you? You—you weren't like thisI thought I was your friend, SyaoranI thought you cared about what happened to meI thought you cared about me, even a little_

Then the fingers loosened a little—then more—and then I was falling back down, falling the three feet I'd been in the air. And every breath was a miracle. It was a breath that meant I was still alive.

But why had he let me go?

I looked up from where I'd collapsed onto the ground and saw, to my surprise, Syaoran kneeling down a few feet away. He was breathing harshly, his pupils tiny in twin pools of amber. "No," he gasped. "No! Leave me alone!" A drop of sweat rolled down his forehead and fell to the ground as I froze, unsure of what was happening. "NO!" His fist was spread out to cover half his face, the fingers buried into damp walnut-brown hair. I peeled my own gloves off—they weren't helping me keep a grip on my sword—and dropped them to the side, still watching him. "Leave me ALONE!" There was a flash, and something changed. I wasn't sure what it was until he turned and looked at me. Then I saw it. It was in his eyes—they weren't cold, weren't icy brown like they had been. They were warm.

I didn't move, only stayed like that, unwilling to risk moving and finding they'd gone frigid again.

Then he came closer and I winced, bracing myself for an attack.

It never came.

Instead, gentle hands closed around my shoulders, brushing scrapes and bruises I'd accumulated there. "Sakura," his hoarse voice came softly. "Sakura, it's me."

I wrenched open my eyes and found his face a few bare inches from mine. "Syaoran?"

"Sakura, I need you to listen," he said urgently, his eyes infinitely sad. "I need you to listen to me." I nodded wordlessly. "Chaos is using my body. I've only got a little time until he gets control back, but Sakura—Sakura, you have to kill me."

"What?" Drawing back, I shook my head in disbelief and horror, my voice shaking. "No, Syaoran, that can't—"

"It is," he said firmly, pain in his voice. "That's the way it has to be." It was all I could do to meet his eyes with my own. A tear started to trickle down my face, and a trembling hand brushed it away, then cupped my cheek gently. "Sakura," he breathed, "I love you. I want you to know that." 

I felt like I was floating. This was all too strange to be realyet it all felt real—the slight breeze, the sting of my injuries, the warmth of his hand on my face. I laid my own hand over it, just to see if it was real, and to hold it there because if I didn't hold it there, then it might go away

And then he drew me closer, and a warm mouth was brushing against mine, light as a feather. Our fingers intertwined as the kiss deepened, my entire body shaking. Another gentle hand caressed my cheek and I shivered. Was this all a dream? 

No.

It was real.

And he loved me.

I had thought that the kiss in the tavern was the most amazing thing in the world, but it was nothing compared to this. My heart was ringing in my ears, heat rushing through me at the feel of his fingers running over my face. A strong arm pulled me even closer to him, holding me tightly like he never wanted to let me go.

I trembled in his arms, wanting to stay like this forever.

But when Chaos returned, I would have to kill him.

He pulled away gently and I stared at him, tears running down my face. "It'll be okay, Sakura," he said softly, wiping them away with shaking fingers. "You don't need me."

"Yes I do!" I protested. 

"No you don't." He looked me deeply in the eyes. "You can defeat him on your own, Sakura. I know you can. I believe in you."

"I can't," I whispered.

"You can." He pulled me into a tight embrace, nearly crushing me against his chest and I buried my face in his shoulder as a hand stroked the back of my head. If only we could stay like this; if only the world would disappear and just leave us two alone "Everyone is counting on you, Sakura. Everyone in Sendelvon, everyone on Earth, everyone in all the worlds. They're all counting on you."

"But—"

"No, Sakura." He turned my face towards him. "You're going to have to do it on your own, and I know you can. Believe in yourself. You're stronger than you know." He kissed me gently, then tensed. "Tell everyone I say goodbye," he said softly with a crooked grin, sweat breaking out on his face. It sounded like each word was costing him dearly. _He's fighting Chaos._ "And tell Eriol that if he doesn't quit flirting with you and hook up with Tomoyo I'll—" He broke off, shaking. "It's up to you now, Sakura." As I watched, his eyes started turning darker and darker.

"No!" I pleaded. "Come back!" 

There was a black flash, and he stood, his eyes glinting coldly.

Syaoran was gone.

"Hello, Sakura," Chaos said smoothly.

I scrambled back, picking up the sword. Could I do it? Could I kill Syaoran?

Could I live without him?

The Griffyn sword met mine with a ring, and I jumped away. The battle was back on.

__

There has to be a way to do this without killing Syaoran, I thought hopelessly. _There HAS to be_

I dodged a swipe, trying to get away from that ever-moving sword.

__

"They're all counting on you, Sakura."

I can't kill Syaoran!

"Everyone on Earth"

But how can I defeat Chaos on my own if he's gone? How?

"Everyone in Sendelvon"

But I love him! Can't I get rid of Chaos somehow?

"What's the matter?" he taunted. "Can't kill me, can you? And you call yourself a Magic Knight."

__

He's got Umi, and Fuu, and Hikaru, and the rest of the Seven! Sendelvon's going be completely destroyed if I don't do something fast

How can I get Chaos out of Syaoran's body without killing him?

I can't.

I paused. It rang in my mind.

__

"That's the way it has to be."

But if I kill him, I'll be all alone

"You can defeat him on your own, Sakura."

I can?

"I believe in you."

"Belief is power"

I love him, and he believes in me. I can do this.'

There was no other way. No other Road for me to take.

I lifted the sword, the gems glistening, the eight feet of silver perfect and unmarred, shining in the sunlight.

__

I'm sorry, Syaoran.

Chaos/Syaoran charged at me, sword raised.

My hand tightened on the hilt.

He was fifteen feet away.

Fourteen.

Thirteen.

Twelve. 

Eleven. _Oh my god_

Ten. _Can I really do this?_

Nine. I prayed that he'd stop there somehow, someway. That he'd stop, not take another step. One more stride and he'd be within range.

He continued, despite my longing otherwise. 

I swallowed, tears running down my face and dropping, red-pink from the blood, onto my shoulder guards. "I'm so sorry," I whispered.

And I ran him through.

Chaos stared at me, wide-eyed. He hadn't really thought I'd do it. He hadn't thought my heart would be strong enough. And then there was a flash as I pulled the Unicorn Sword free, its length stained with scarlet. He collapsed, a shadow rushing away from his body, and I knew he'd left. Chaos was still alive, but Syaoran would not be for long.

"_SYAORAN!"_ I screamed his name, his hand clasped tightly in my own.

He forced an eye open. "ThankSakura." He weakly managed to lift the Griffyn Sword and press it into my bloody hand. "Useit. You'restrong, Sakurabe strong for–both of us" His eyes closed; his chest stopped moving.

And I knew he was dead.

__

Use it.

I stood, cold and numb all over. There was a time for mourning; it wasn't now. 

The Griffyn Sword was heavy in my hand as Terronen's voice echoed in my mind. **Magic Knight Syaoran has designated you as his successor. Do you accept this?**

"I accept," I whispered.

****

Then unite the swords, and we will merge, he said stolidly.** You will don us both.**

__

How can that be? I wondered. It wasn't of importance right now, though. Taking the two swords, I brought them together.

__

CLANG!

There was an echoing, bell-like ring, and a flash of light. Then the blades melded into one, along with the two Mashin beneath me, and my armor morphed. New magic flooded my veins as the two swords then separated again, though the Spirits remained together. Now the Griffyn Sword was as light as a feather, because I was its wielder.

__

He is going to pay, I vowed silently. _He's going to pay for this, and for Syaoran, and for everything._

A dark mecha descended from the sky, more immense than anything I'd seen. _Chaos, _I realized grimly.

It dropped in front of me, looking almost invincible. I gulped. I was supposed to _defeat_ this thing?

__

You can do it, I told myself. _Make him pay for everything he's done to you. _

"Bring it on, Chaos!" I yelled raggedly, knowing he could hear me. "I'm not afraid of you!"

A black sword appeared in the mecha's claws, and he pointed it at me. Shadowy power shot out at the gold and silver Mashin I rode in, and I dodged it swiftly. Both swords shone in my hands, making it seem like I had the moon in one fist and the sun in another. "Shooting Starfire!" The silvery missiles hardly marked Chaos's mecha, so I charged at him, swinging the swords.

One connected with its side with a grating metallic squeal. Triumphant, I swiftly pulled away before he could lash out—then watched in horror as the dent filled out again, with hardly a knick to show the damage.

__

No!

He blocked the Unicorn Sword's arc, but the Griffyn Sword's impact left another dent that returned to normal again. I threw frantic blows at the mecha, but none left any lasting damage.

__

This can't be happening

A ball of black fire left me reeling, and I let my guard down.

Which was a terrible mistake.

A burning line of pain lashed down my side as the spell ate away at me like acid. Screaming, I cut through the leech-like magic and the pain receded. 

The dark sword opened a long gash in my leg, then tore through muscle in my shoulder. With a sharp cry of pain, I stumbled back, clutching my shoulder.

__

There has to be a way to defeat him

"You can't win," Chaos cackled. "I'll kill you, like you killed little friend there."

Little friend?

__

Syaoran.

He'd made me kill Syaoran.

And he had to pay for that.

My heart throbbed in pain and fury and agony. Silver and gold fire raced through me, rushing around me, lifting me up. It burned in my heart and my spirit and my eyes. Everything was golden and silvery fire, roaring in my hurt and fury, crackling in my lungs and breath and heart and blood and soul. Chaos had to pay. He had to pay for nearly killing us all.

Then there was a crack, and I was beyond anger—beyond emotions. Power was racing through me, stronger than anything I'd thought possible. The spheres with the glyphs in front of them were gone. I was on a plane of my own.

And I was having the strangest sensation.

It was as though I'd become Sendelvon itself. Below my feet, storm clouds were racing over the sky, the sea thrashing, the mountains rumbling, all because of my anguish.

And it hit me.

I was the Pillar.

I didn't know why it had happened. I didn't know how. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was that I was the Pillar.

It meant I had more power than anything else, but for the Creator—Mokona. And something else, but what?

A young woman drifted down beside me. She had immense wings, long white hair, deep blue eyes—and a round, indigo gem in the center of her forehead. 

"Rokona?"

She said nothing; only touched my forehead with a slender, white hand. 

There was a flash of silver light, and words branded themselves into my mind, even more power and magic flooding my veins. 

"Sakurathe ones with the strongest hearts in Sendelvon are the ones who are the Seven," she said in a clear, ringing voice. "But they were unable to pray for Sendelvon. It was breaking apart, with no one to support it."

"I know," I whispered.

"Hikaru's Wish was to eliminate the Pillar System because the Pillar could not fall in love," she continued. "The Pillar could only love Sendelvon. She could not share her heart with anything."

__

How lonely that would be

"You have become the Pillar because the one to whom you had given all of your love to is gone," she said sadly. "I know you will not all of your heart to another. And your Wish for vengeance shows a heart strong enough to be the Pillar. Yours is the strongest heart. You are the Pillar now."

"Will I be the Pillar forever?"

"I do not know," she replied. "Sakura, it used to be that the Pillar controlled all. Now it is not so. You control much, but you do not have power over two things: life and death." She put a hand on my shoulder. "Your heart is not only strong enough to support Sendelvon, but it is big enough to share that love. Do not fear to love your friends and family. And believe in yourself. Belief is always power here."

She disappeared as I turned to Chaos.

__

Can I do it? _Can I defeat him on my own?_

I have to believe in myself. I have to believe.

I raised a hand into the air, then brought it down until it was level with my shoulder. A sphere of pure light grew in front of my palm. 

I called.

Called all the power in the world.

Called all the power in the people.

Called all the power in Sendelvon's magic.

Called all the power in myself.

And it all came to me.

I lifted the sphere into the air once more. "This is for Sendelvon!" I yelled. "This is for Earth! This is for Syaoran!" I paused, then added venomously, "And this is for _me._" He had completely ruined my life; it was time to pay. Power surged up my arms. "STARFIRE INFERNO!" 

The sphere of light hurled towards him like a shooting star. There was silence for a split second, and then everything exploded. I was knocked flat on my back as white filled my vision.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Now what?" Fuu threw a rock at the wall hopelessly.

"How the hell should I know?" Umi snapped, her arms crossed over her chest. "Sakura's the one fighting the psycho guy, not me."

"Can we _not_ fight?" Hikaru asked wearily. "Sendelvon's probably breaking up out there, and we can't do anything."

"No kidding," Ferio sighed.

They and the rest of the Seven were in the cell Chaos had thrown them in shortly after he'd kidnapped them. Of course, Umi hadn't been in that great of a mood because of that, and she wasn't exactly being easy to deal with.

Clef stood up suddenly. "I think something's happening."

A rumbling overhead confirmed his statement, and they all listened as the sounds of battle echoed overhead.

Then there was a boom, and they were swept up, then dumped back inside the palace.

"Oh" Umi said with irritation. "I _really_—" She broke off at the sight of a huge cloud so near the palace it was frightening. There were flickers of light and more explosions.

"They must be fighting him," Lantis said blandly. 

The land outside was churning like a stormy sea, and they could only pray something would happen soon so that they could support it once more.

"Clef?" Fuu asked, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Has it happened yet?"

He closed his eyes. "I don't know."

"Has what happened yet?" Hikaru asked quizzically.

"Yeah." Umi glared at her friend. "And why didn't you tell us?"

"Because it wasn't something you needed to know," she said heavily. "Something you guys _couldn't_ know. And it—it's the legend about them."

"Legend?" Hikaru asked. "Butit isn't like ours, is it? They aren't destined to kill the Pillar."

"No" Fuu swallowed hard. "Sakura is destined to kill Syaoran."

There was stunned silence.

And then the land outside the palace stilled, then settled somewhat. Storm clouds and earthquakes were still tearing up the land and sky, but the kind of chaos that was caused when there was no one supporting it was gone. Yet, the pressure of being the Seven had not returned. They weren't holding up Sendelvon; but it was still held up nonetheless.

Someone had become the Pillar.

"No," Hikaru whispered. "No! That can't happen!"

And then all of the magic they had was called away from them in a sudden, overwhelming summons.

And a moment later, the biggest explosion of all rocked the entire world, shaking it from the highest mountain to the deepest sea.

The cloud burst into shreds, but whoever it was that had become the Pillar was staying that way. A silhouette appeared among the smaller clouds on the ground. A sword was hanging limply from each hand, the figure's steps slow. You could tell its owner was in misery.

And then Sakura walked out from the cloud.

Alone.

Blood stained both of the swords and dribbled over her hands as she dragged her feet towards the palace. Her eyes were dead, her many wounds bleeding sluggishly. She looked like she'd been dropped in a blender.

There was no sign of Syaoran.

"Sakura!" Hikaru burst out of the doors. "Sakura!"

She looked up dully and mutely allowed herself to be taken inside. Once she was indoors, though, the swords fell to the ground with a clatter and she numbly lifted her hands, staring at the scarlet stains. There was the look I them that they'd seen in Princess Emeraude's eyes—Sakura was the Pillar. "I killed him," she said tonelessly. "I killed Syaoran. I loved him, I really did. And I was the one to kill him. This is his blood, Hikaru. I've got his blood on my hands."

A tear rolled down her face, then another and another. She collapsed, sobbing, onto the floor.

"Go away." Umi jerked her head at the doors and the men silently filed away as the four remaining Magic Knights mourned together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

I stared numbly at my reddened hands, the three girls beside me. I'd cried my eyes dry, yet I still was agonized inside. The weather outside was awful, mirroring my heart. 

Now what did I do? 

I just wanted to go home; just wanted this whole nightmare to be over—

Something tugged behind me. Then wind whipped around me and a hole opened below my feet. There was a flash, and I was falling—

And I landed in the Tokyo tower.

I blinked.

The sun was shining. The sky was blue. I was standing like I had been, in my regular clothes, as though no time had passed.

As though I'd never been to Sendelvon.

Had it all been a strange, eerie dream?

"Hey, Sakura." Tomoyo walked up as I glanced at my hands. They were clean—no blood. "What are you thinking of?"

__

She knew I had a crush on him before I left, right? "UmmSyaoran," I admitted softly.

"Who?"

The single word cut into my heart. _What does she mean, who?_

"Syaoran," I repeated weakly.

"Is he someone you met online?" she asked quizzically.

"No," I said, dazed. "He helped me with the cards, remember? I had a crush on him?"

She shook her head with concern and put a hand on my forehead. "Are you feeling all right?"

I swallowed hard, then turned and looked back out at Tokyo. "Yeah"

It hadn't been a dream.

He was gone from the other world, so no one remembered him here.

No one, that was, except for me.

His killer.

"Can we go home?" I asked quietly.

"Sure" she looked at me, concerned, but didn't comment further. It was a silent trip to my house.

And so life for me went on.

I hated every moment of it. And I knew I wouldn't ever return to Sendelvon—I could be a Pillar here. And even if I couldn't, I could care less. My life was torture and I hated every moment. Every moment without Syaoran.

But it still went on.

And on.

And on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, many thanks to **SyaoranSword** for letting me use this ending. I'd already written it when I read his and found that :gasp: we'd come up with the same, wonderful, angsty idea! And for all you people who are like "Well, JadeWing just _copied_ it", I HAD ALREADY WRITTEN IT! Great minds just happen to think alike! So XP!

Anyway, go read his story too. It's really good! 


	9. I Wish I May, I Wish I Might

Stone and Starfire

Stone and Starfire

Chapter Eight: I Wish I May, I Wish I Might

No comment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

"Sakura, you have to kill me."

"But–"

"I love you. I want you to know that."

"You don't need me. You can defeat him on your own."

"I can't!"

I can't kill him!

Syaoran, I'm sorry

I ran him through.

It felt as though I were the land itselfI'd become the Pillar.

Chaos faded into oblivion in the white light.

Winds whipped around me, and then I was back in the Tokyo Tower, as though no time had passed.

"What were you thinking of?"

"Syaoran."

"Who?"

He was gone from one world, so no one remembered him here.

And life went on

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stood at the window, looking out. Out at the town I'd lived my life in. And it meant nothing to me.

For Syaoran was gone. And nothing could bring him back.

**__**

My lover's gone

His boots no longer by my door

I watched dully as a bird darted across the sky, and cursed it for being alive when Syaoran was not. 

**__**

He left at dawn

And as I slept I felt him go

How could he die like this? I wondered bitterly. _Why did I have to kill him? Why do I have to be alone?_

****

Returns no more

I will not watch the ocean

What was the use of being the Pillar of Sendelvon when I couldn't bring him back?

**__**

My lover's gone

No Earthly ships will ever bring him home again

Bring him home again

I relived that moment. It was all so realthe feather-light weigh of two swords in one handthe pain from the many wounds I'd accumulated

The feel of his lips against mine

**__**

My lover's gone

I know that kiss will be my last

I saw it, over and over again. Chaos, in Syaoran's body, charging towards me, thinking I wouldn't do it

**__**

No more his song

The tune upon his lips has passed

His dead weight in my arms as I sobbed, weeping like if I cried hard enough he would come back to life

But he hadn't. 

And I was still here. By myself.

**__**

I sing alone

While I watch the ocean

God, Syaoran I closed my eyes in pain. _I miss you so much_

****

My lover's gone

No Earthly ships will ever bring him home again

Bring him home again

I missed him fiercely, like never before, but

He would never come home.

It had been a tensely silent ride in the limousine on my return from the Tokyo Tower. I had gotten out, thanked Tomoyo, then gone inside, climbed the stairs to my room, and cried on my pillow until I had no more tears.

It hurt.

God, did it hurt.

My heart was in a constant agony. And I missed him.

When he had been gone in Hong Kong, I had always known he was okay, because I could sense his aura and tell he was fine. I had known he was alive, and even though it had stung a little when he didn't write back, I wasn't worried about him. He could come back.

But now he was dead. Dead, because I'd been the one to kill him.

And he would never come home.

I turned away from the window. Kero had been surprisingly understanding. I'd found that Yue, Kero, Eriol, and Kaho were the only other ones who still knew Syaoran had existed, and Eriol had flown in from England the day after I'd returned.

It was still no comfort.

Despite the fact that it was summer still, I was cold. I'd been that way since I'd returned.

A lot of things had changed when I'd returned. I was only one of them.

It had taken me a week to be able to leave my room. Since I was fifteen, Dad had felt I was old enough to stay alone in the house for three weeks while he was on an expedition. Touya was at college; it was the middle of summer vacation for me. It had taken me another week to be able to go outside again. I still felt I wasn't really ready to face the outside world, not without Syaoran standing over me and making sure I wasn't hurt. God, I missed that. Who would keep me safe now?

I pulled on a jacket, then slipped outside and went down the stairs, then out of the house. The sky was blue, with a few puffy clouds drifting silently across it, but I took no notice. My feet wandered aimlessly, and I found myself at the park. I swallowed at the memories it brought backMei Ling's arrival, where Syaoran had been hurt and she had gone ballistic. The Create Card's capture, where I had ended up taller than I'd ever thought I'd be. The time I'd had to turn the Erase Card into a Sakura Card, down in the hole. 

And then, the time Yukito had rejected me, and I'd been in the park, and Syaoran had comforted me. How had he known it was what I had needed?

How could I have been so blind, to not see that the love I wanted was right in front of my face?

And now, all of the short time I had had with him was gone. 

They were going to look for me. I knew that. And I knew, someday, Umi, Fuu, and Hikaru might find me, and they might try to make me come back.

But I wouldn't.

I couldn't.

In my dreams ,I relived the nightmarish last battle again and again. Over and over I felt the impact as the Unicorn Sword slid into him. Each time I felt like screaming, like running away. But every time, the dream went on.

Just like life for me went on.

And I hated it.

I wanted it all to end.

The slight breeze played with my hair, tugging at it, but I pushed it back behind my ear as an idea came to me.

I could end it.

Would Sendelvon crumble without a Pillar? Doubtful. Princess Emeraude had died, Hikaru had become the new Pillar, and she'd shared that responsibility with everyone else. But when they had been unable to pray for the land, I'd become the Pillar.

But if I ended my life, the burden would simply return to Sendelvon.

I left the bridge, where I'd been staring numbly at the rippling waters. 

And missing Syaoran more.

__

Why? My fist slammed into a nearby tree trunk as I cursed the day I was born–born into a life destined for hardships, for pain, for loss, for this agony of grieving. _Why can't I have power over life and death?_ _Why does it have to be that I can do anything–but bring him back?_

I walked down the path, hot ad cold all over. Mostly cold.

I got on a bus, and it was going to Tokyo Tower. 

I had never ever wanted to see it again. It was kind of ironic, in a way. My life had always been changed at the Tokyo Tower.

I'd had the Final Judgement there. I'd caught the Dream card. 

Syaoran and I had been taken into Sendelvon.

And I'd come back out without him.

I shivered, trying to remember the way his arms felt around me. But I couldn't.

And that hurt most of all. I was losing my memory of him.

Maybe it was because everyone else had already lost any knowledge of his existence. Maybe because the memory of him was so painful. Maybe because I didn't have anything to remember him by; except for memories.

But if I ended it all for me, then we could be together.

It didn't take long for the bus to reach the tower. I got on the elevator, not even looking at anyone else there. 

As soon as we got to the top, I got out and went to a window. If I broke it, then I could climb out and throw myself off from there. No one else was up here, and eventually the guard left too. I was all alone.

I turned the Key of Star into the staff and prepared to swing it into the glass pane.

"Sakura, wait!" 

Tomoyo darted out from the elevator as I mentally cursed. "Don't do it, Sakura! Whatever it is, it isn't worth it!"

"How do you know?" I asked bitterly, my voice harsh.

"It's over Syaoran, isn't it?" she asked quietly. "You want to be with him."

I gasped. "Tomoyo–I thought you–"

"Eriol knew the spell that erased my memories," she said quietly, looking away. "He reversed it."

"So you know." My voice was still ragged and cold. "I can't take it any more, Tomoyo."

"He would have wanted you to be alive!" she said fiercely, tears shining in her eyes. "You were everything to him, and there is no way in Heaven, Hell, or Earth that he would want you to end your life like this!"

"I don't care." There was something cold in me, far down within me, and it refused to thaw. "I can't be here another minute without him."

"Yes you can," Touya said firmly from behind me. "That kid with the glasses got my memories back." He wrapped a fist around my arm. "It isn't worth it, Sakura. I'm not going to let you die."

"Let me go," I ordered, my voice chilly.

"No." 

I gave up and let myself be taken home.

But the agony and ice in my heart didn't go away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We have to find her." 

The other six people seated around the table looked at Guru Clef, surprised.

"Why?" Hikaru asked after a minute.

"She is the Pillar," he said tonelessly. "By the rules of our worlds, she wasn't supposed to be able to go to Earth. When she became the Pillar, she was in enough pain to break those rules and wish herself home, but the land and the Pillar are always supposed to be together."

"She's slowly dying," Rokona said. She was in her human form. "When she isn't here, the land dies, and because she is one with the land, she is dying."

Fuu leaned heavily on the table, her eyes deadened. "This is terrible"

"I know." Umi sat beside her, staring miserably down. They had had a hard time after killing Emeraude, but that was _nothing_ compared to how Sakura must have been feeling right now

"Why does it have to be this way?" Hikaru asked, her face dark with sorrow.

"If Sakura comes back, anything could happen," Rokona said tonelessly. "If the Wish I her heart is strong enough, my father may listen."

"Mokona?" A vein pulsed on Umi's forehead. "That crazy little puffball?"

Rokona's eyebrows shot up. "Was he weird when he was helping you?"

"Are you _kidding?_" Umi growled. "The little rabbit was a freakin' psycho!"

She snickered. "He never mentioned thatremind me to tease him about it the next time I see him."

"But it is of utmost importance that we find Sakura," Clef cut in. "If this continues, both she and the land will perish."

"Will she have to stay here forever?" Lantis asked quietly.

Everyone looked at Rokona. "I don't know!" she said, holding her hands up in a gesture of innocence. "Dad's the Creator, not me. I just get to sit around and watch."

"Great" Umi rubbed her forehead. "I'm getting a headache"

"How do we find her?" Fuu asked. "She never told us where she lives, and our magics don't work on Earth."

Everyone sat around, thinking about that. There was a moment of quiet; then Rokona jumped to her feet. "I know! I'll go with you!"

"That would work" said Fuu slowly. "But there is one problem." She glanced pointedly at Rokona's forehead.

"What?" she asked confusedly.

"This." Umi stood and tapped the round blue gem set above her brow. "In our world, people usually don't walk around with a sapphire growing from their foreheads."

"Oh." She frowned, trying to look at it and going cross-eyed, and it disappeared. "Better?"

"Yep."

"We'll need some normal clothes, too." Fuu frowned thoughtfully. "I think some of my stuff might fit you, Rokona"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

I paced around the room. _I want out, and I want out **now.**_

More accurately, I want Syaoran back, but that isn't going to happen any time soon, now is it?

Sudden dizziness made me grab the bedpost for support. For a minute, my body was racked with burning pain, and my vision faded in and out. The spell didn't last for more than three seconds, but it felt longer.

The agony passed, and I straightened, breathing hard. _What just happened?_

Eventually, I slept, too tired for anything else. I didn't know where the drain on my energy was coming from–Yue couldn't be relying on me anymore, and none of the cards were drawing from me.

So why was I exhausted?

I tried to stay awake; I truly did. For I knew what would happen if I fell asleep.

But eventually my eyelids fell. They fell, and the nightmares came.

__

Chaos/Syaoran was thirteen feet away and charging.

No stop

This can't happen

Ten

My hands moved on their own, and to my horror and inner agony, they raised the sword.

I felt it all over again; relived that moment.

I killed him again.

I watched, sickened and feeling torn up inside, as he slowly collapsed, my sword spearing him.

No

There had to be another way. There had to be.

It's my fault.

If I died, then he'd still be alive.

No

It's my fault

He is gone forever.

NO! He has to come back–somehow–he has to–

He won't.

NO!

I woke up screaming. Ringing in my ears were the words I'd realized before I had awoken. 

__

It's my fault.

It was. It really was. There must have been something I hadn't thought of; something I had missed. There must have been.

It was all my fault he was dead.

I buried my face in the pillows, sobbing once more, but the pain and guilt didn't go away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[AN: And now, the person we all want to hear from]

__

Sakura

I gazed upon her sleeping form, heavy with sorrow. 

__

Damn you, Chaos.

He'd lost; but in another way, he'd won.

How it hurt to see her like this

I wanted to be there. Not like the spirit I was, but as a real person. 

__

I want to be alive again.

No kiddingmost dead people tend to want that

But this was different.

I'd had nothing to lose. Nothing. If Sakura hadn't killed me, all I would have got was a life in the gold cage of my home. I would have been yanked back in a week, no less.

That was, assuming there would have been a Clan to yank me back.

__

I'm so sorry I had to leave you, Sakura

I wanted to stay like this–just watching her–forever. 

But that wasn't an option.

****

You have one hour in the living world, the strict voice said. **No more, no less.**

I felt myself dissolve, then reappear again far in the sky. I blinked, then wished myself to where Sakura was.

When I appeared in her bedroom, she was sitting up, her knees drawn to her chest, face buried in her covers. She was crying again.

__

I can't stand this

She can't see or hear me, and I can't do anything

Why do they do this? Why let us down here every day, just so we can go through all this pain again?

It hurt; that didn't mean I was going to stop coming.

I watched her, torn inside. A few of her thoughts were so strong that I could hear them. 

__

It's all my fault.

He'd still be alive if not for me.

That isn't true! I tried to tell her, but she didn't hear.

After a while, she stopped shaking, and her breathing became even and soft. She'd fallen asleep.

The drawer in her desk creaked open, and Kero came out. He flew past me, a sad expression on his face, and used his power to put her back under the covers.

Turning, his small eyes landed on me. For a long moment, neither of us looked away.

He blinked once, then went back into his drawer.

I waited for a little while after that, just watching her.

__

She's always beautiful when she sleeps.

Looking at the clock, I saw I had twenty minutes left.

"No"

The soft murmur broke the silence. She turned over, flinching, and a tear rolled down her face. 

"Syaoran_no!"_ She bit her lip so hard it bled. "No! Come back!"

I closed my eyes in pain. _She doesn't deserve this, dammit!_ I cursed silently, yelling at the higher powers. _At what point did she **ever** deserve this?_

"I'm so sorry" Another tear rolled down her cheek, and another. "I'm so sorryit's my faultI'm so sorry"

__

Sakura

I laid an incorporeal hand along her cheek, but felt nothing, and that hurt most of all.

They hauled me back too soon, as usual. Or at least, it was too soon for me. It always was. 

I could see the way she was wasting away. If it didn't stop, she wouldn't live much longer, and although it meant we would be together, it would be too selfish for me to wish for. She had so much to live for: people loved her, people cared for her, she was beautiful, she was smart–her life was not meant to be wasted, and especially not wasted on me.

__

This is not good

"Syaoran Li?" 

The voice rang in my head, and I looked up. "What? What do you want?"

Something that looked like Rokona, but with a yellow gem instead of indigo, drifted down in front of me. "There is something I must discuss with you"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

Flash!

Four girls appeared in the Tokyo Tower, out of the sight of passers-by. Opening their eyes, they straightened.

"Okay, where to now?" Hikaru asked lowly.

"I'm on it," Rokona said distractedly. "It's going to take a little while to get to her."

"Do we have that much time?" asked Fuu. Her mouth was twisted in an unhappy frown.

__

I don't like dragging her back into thisbut we don't have a choice

"Yeah–how long will she live outside of Sendelvon?" Umi asked worriedly.

Rokona's mouth turned downward. "I don't know," she said after a pause. "I'm guessing a few months, but I'm not sure. It could be a lot more; it could be a lot less. For now, though, I'd give her two weeks until she's too weak for me to try to locate."

"Then we don't have that much time." Fuu squared her shoulders. "She never told us whether she was on a field trip or just visiting the Tower when they were summoned, but since she speaks Japanese, she's got to live somewhere close by."

"But where?" Umi mused.

"That's what we're going to find out," Hikaru said grimly. "Now let's go. We've got a Pillar to find."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

I don't feel so good I opened my eyes and tried to sit up, but my whole body was aching for no apparent reason. _What–? What's going on?_ Wincing at the pain in my back, I slowly turned over and laid on my side. _Am I just sick?_

Sick.

I remembered the last time I'd been sick; when I'd taken wound fever from the arrow in my shoulder. And then Syaoran had watched over me and taken care of me for god knows how long.

I heaved a short, quiet, bitter little laugh. Now no one would take care of me.

The morning wore on and I didn't feel much better. A splitting headache kept me in bed for a while, not to mention the fact that I couldn't move very well without making the aches throughout my body go ballistic.

__

I want this to end, I thought hopelessly, lying on my back with my eyes closed. _I don't want to hurt anymore._

But that wasn't an option.

The day passed slowly, the hours crawling by. When night came, I resisted sleep as long as I could, knowing what would happen.

But my eyelids fell.

I was swirled into a funnel of death, horror, and blood as the nightmares began once more.

This time, when I killed Syaoran, he stayed still for a minute, then got up again, blood pouring from his wound. I nearly threw up, but could only watch as he smiled grimly, then swung the Griffyn Sword at me. It was about to hit–

When I woke up, drenched in sweat, my hair plastered to my face.

Closing my eyes, I leaned back wearily. It had been too real

__

God, SyaoranI miss you so much

The morning sunlight streamed in from the window, the sky outside cloudy. I gazed dully at the ceiling, wondering how long it would be until I died. A year? Two years? Was it possible for me to will myself to death? 

__

Maybe in Sendelvon

But most likely not here.

There was a knock on the door. When I didn't respond, it opened and Touya walked in, carrying a tray of food. "You need to eat."

I looked away, tight-lipped. "I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten in three days."

"I don't want to." 

Something struck a chord in my memory–all the times I'd had to nearly stuff the food down Syaoran's throat because he wasn't going to eat anything otherwise.

My eyes filled with tears. It was all reminding me of him–everything; everywhere; whatever I saw made me think of him.

Another spasm of pain racked my entire body. My hands gripped the sheets so hard that I could hear the fabric tearing. 

"Sakura!" 

Forcing my eyes open, I saw Touya's worried face over me. "What happened?" he asked, concerned.

"I–don't–know," I admitted. "I don't know..."

The next day, I lost feeling in my left hand. It was like it wasn't there, and I couldn't move it. I didn't know what was going on, but if it meant I would die soon and be with Syaoran, then I wouldn't care.

After that day, I drifted in and out of unconsciousness, bits and pieces of memories floating past my mind's eye. Days passed, then a week, and I never got out of my bed. I didn't want to leave the room, because then the people beyond the door might make me forget about him. I had to stay in here and remember Syaoran, because if I didn't, then I would forget, and I _couldn't _forget him. 

It was funny–ever since he'd come, I'd never thought about what life would be like with him gone. I mean, he'd been in Hong Kong, with a chance of coming back, but now

More than just a part of me felt gone–hollow. When he'd left, he'd taken most of me with him. All that was left was this shell of despair and cold. That was all.

How could I live?

All of a sudden, anger filled me. Why was I born? Was I born just to live the life I'd been living? Merely to be in constant pain? Why was it me?

What kind of creator made someone like me? Someone with my kind of destiny?

I didn't know.

They were looking for me.

I knew that. I knew they were back somehow. 

But I didn't care.

"Sakura?"

There was a knock on the door, and I sat up. "Go away."

"You've got visitors."

"Great. Tell them to come back when I'm dead."

The door opened, and I glared fiercely at him, but then Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, and a strange girl walked in. After a minute, I recognized her as Rokona in human form. _So that's how they found me._

"Sakura?" Umi asked. "Umm" 

Touya left as Fuu said, "There's a problem."

"I'm not going back." My voice was dead and ice cold.

"You have to," said Hikaru. 

"I won't."

"You have to," she repeated.

"Why?" _Like I care, anyway_

"You're dying." Rokona ignored my glare.

"And I'm supposed to care?"

That seemed to hit them like a slap in the face, and there was tense silence in the room.

"Sakura–" Fuu began uncertainly.

"Don't 'Sakura' me," I snapped. "It's my fault he's _dead._ Nothing you could possibly do will change that."

"Neither will moping around," Umi retorted. "This isn't in your hands. You're going to come back, whether you like it or not."

"I don't want to go and _you can't make me._" The tension in the air was almost palpable.

"This isn't your choice!" she said forcefully. "Sakura, you are _the land itself._ You're dying because you aren't there, and if you die the land dies. I know it's hard, but you have to come back! There are people in that world whose existence depends on _you, _and you don't have the right to destroy an entire world because you don't feel like sucking it up and doing what needs to be done!"

I swallowed. The land would die?

"And it _isn't_ your fault that he's–he's gone!" she continued, pain in her eyes. 

__

"I killed him, dammit!" I screamed back at her. _"He **died **because of me!"_

"He died because of _Chaos,_" she said coldly. "It wasn't your fault or anyone else's except for Chaos! You did what you had to do!"

"And what you were destined to do," Fuu added sadly. "It was your legend."

"Well, why _my_ legend?" I demanded. "Why did it have to be me and Syaoran?"

"Because Mokona thought you could handle this," Hikaru replied tonelessly. 

"Think, Sakura," said Rokona, leaning forward. "He would have been the Clan Leader. The minute he came back, they would have dragged him away and married him off to some stranger. What kind of life could he have had, anyway?"

"One where he was _alive,_" I said bitterly.

"True," Umi said blandly. "One where you two were apart."

There was quiet, and then Fuu spoke. "Sakura, if you come back–"

"I don't want to."

"Hear me out," she said irritably. "If you come back, Mokona said that you would join the Seven and we'd become the Eight. _No_ one would be the Pillar. _You_ wouldn't be the Pillar."

"I wouldn't?" I asked numbly. "I could die?"

They flinched. "Youcould," she confirmed haltingly. "But Sakurahe'd want you to be alive."

I looked down at the sheets, knowing she was right and not sure how to reply. 

Pain laced through my veins again, but this time it was worse than usual. I doubled over in agony, trying to hold back tears and waiting until it was over–but this wasn't ending.

"Sendelvon must be breaking up more!" I dimly heard Hikaru's voice in my ears. "We've got to get her back, and _fast!"_

There was a roaring in my ears, and I passed out.

When I woke up, I was in car. Umi was at the wheel, with Hikaru by her side and Fuu watching over me in the back, Rokona back in her rabbit-form and seated on the middle seat. The pain was still in me.

"Where–where are we–going?" I asked, my voice weak.

"Tokyo Tower," Umi said distractedly.

"Why?" 

"There's a Road we opened there," Hikaru answered.

"Why?"

"So we could travel between the worlds."

"Why?"

"Sakura"

/She's delirious,/ Rokona said mentally. /Go easy on her./

"Why?"

Fuu raised her eyebrows, and Rokona sighed. /Okay, okay./ An indigo light shone from her forehead, and I blacked out again.

"Okay, Sakura. Wakey-wakey."

"I don't wanna go to school," I muttered. "Go away, Touya."

There was an exasperated sigh, and then someone hauled me to my feet. "Enough. Wake up, Sakura."

I blinked, and Umi's face swam into hazy view. "Okay."

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah"

"Then come on. We've gotta get you back."

The surroundings were a dim blur as I dazedly walked into the building. They steered me towards the elevator, and we got in.

__

I've been seeing an awful lot of this place lately

Soon we reached the top floor. By the time my mind had registered that fact, we were outside the view of the guard and standing in a circle, holding hands. There was a bright flash, and I started to panic. _I don't want to go back, I don't want to go back, I don't want to go back_

It was too late. We landed in the heart of the palace.

I took one look at the familiar room and burst into tears, my inner agony renewed.

They got me to my room, and later I barely remembered getting into bed and falling asleep. By the time I'd woken up again, though, all the physical pain had vanished. 

The sky, revealed through the window overhead, was dark and stormy. I frowned at it, and as the pain in my heart came back, rain started lashing down.

I really did control almost everything.

Wanting to test it out, I willed a bolt of lighting to come down to the window, but not strike it. There was a blinding streak of white light above me, and then it danced away, gone in an instant.

If only I could control life, too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Umi, Fuu, and Hikaru walked out of Sakura's room, knowing she would fall asleep soon. Rokona was perched once more on Hikaru's shoulder, a frown on her face.

Caldina and the others rounded a corner. Spotting the foursome, Presea said, "Hey, they're back!"

The group exchanged nervous glances, and Umi demanded suspiciously, "Alright, what is it?"

"Well" Eagle began. "Something happened while you were gone."

__

"What happened?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"It isn't bad," Zazu assured her. 

"Well" Caldina started to correct uncertainly.

__

"What is it?"

"You'd better see for yourself," Lantis said tonelessly. "Come on."

They followed him down the hall, coming to an open doorway. Hikaru stopped dead in her tracks, and there were two thumps as Fuu collided with her and Umi collided with Fuu. "Hikaru, what–" Umi broke off, seeing what exactly had made her friend halt. "What–how–?"

"We don't know," Presea said sadly. "We don't know"

"What do we do now?" Fuu asked half an hour later. 

"Damned if I know," Umi answered bitterly. 

"Could she handle it?" Hikaru stared at the tabletop. "Or would it just hurt her even more?"

"How bad is she?" Ascot asked tentatively.

"Bad." Umi chewed her lower lip. "Real bad."

"Like?" Ferio prompted.

Fuu rubbed her forehead wearily. "She wants to die. The only thing that got her here was her sense of responsibility, and that's wearing pretty thin too. If she hadn't known Sendelvon would die with her, she wouldn't have come at all."

"It's like she's dead inside," added Hikaru. "I'm not sure whether this would hurt or help."

"What would you do in her position?" Eagle asked tonelessly.

Heads turned. "What do you mean by that?" asked Clef.

"If you had to kill the one you loved, then return to the place where you killed him, and were faced with what we've got here, how would you react?" He cocked an eyebrow pointedly.

There was quiet around the table as everyone thought on that, a sad frown twisting the features of every face.

"I don't know," Umi said finally. "I honestly don't."

"Let's hold off on telling her for a little while," Fuu suggested. "At least, until we have a good idea of how she'd react."

"But we're definitely going to tell her."

"Yes," Hikaru confirmed. "She's got a right to know."

Thunder rolled overhead, and rain pelted the glass walls of the Atrium. "She's awake," Lafarga said lowly.

They all stared at each other, unsure of what to do next. Umi wondered if Sakura would ever fully recover. At this point, it seemed more than doubtful.

Then a scream split the air, coming from her room. A figure ran down the hall towards her, and moments later, her scream was followed by a second one. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I sat up, staring dully at the sheets. I was back, so now what? What if the Eight wasn't formed and I had to stay here forever? According to Clef and the others, the Pillar was immortal unless killed by a Magic Knight–but did that mean I would live forever without Syaoran? Could my life be that cruel?

The door started to creak open, and I scowled. Didn't the people here have _any_ manners?

"Didn't your mother teach you to knock?" I asked sarcastically.

The door stopped moving, but I could see a shadow in the light the crack let in. "Well, don't just stand there," I snapped. "You've caught my attention already, so come in and say what you want to say so I can go back to sleep."

There was an intake of breath, and the door swung open to reveal a shadowy figure, looking like a cross between man and bird–an Eltayzin.

Frowning, I snapped my fingers to turn on the lights as he shut the door.

My visitor's face came into view, and I gasped in recognition before snarling, _"You."_

It was Izden.

Immediately, my eyes caught the long dagger in his hand. He launched himself at me, and I screamed, throwing my arms up in self defense. _Keep him away!_

Izden was thrown into a wall by an invisible force, and he slid down, then stood up again. Already, I was exhausted by the amount of willpower that had taken. _How long can I hold him off? Where's my armor and my sword?_ He shook his head to clear it, then leapt at me once more.

There was a bang as the door flew open. A blurry figure tackled Izden, hauling both of them to the floor. A crack was heard as Izden's head hit the floor, and he went limp, unconscious. My savior stood, breathing hard, then turned to face me.

I felt the blood drain from my face. _No–it can't–but–NO!_

"Whoare you?" he asked slowly.

I screamed at the sound of his voice, and I knew it was him. I didn't know how, or why, or anything at all, but for the fact that it was him.

__

"Syaoran?!"

And then it hit me. He had asked who I was.

A tear ran down my face–then another, and another.

This couldn't be happening. No. It had to be some kind of horrible, horrible nightmare.

He came closer. "Who are you?"

I swallowed, staring at him, then felt my teeth dig into my lip. The pain was real. This was real.

Syaoran was standing in front of me.

With no clue who I was.

"Are you _real?_" I breathed. If I touched his hand, would my fingers go right through him? Was he a ghost?

There were footsteps in the hall, and I looked over to the door to see Fuu and the others standing there.

Umi blanched, then said wearily, "Oh, _shit_"

/Rokona./

Rokona looked up as another version of her appeared out of nowhere. /Oh, hi dad./

He scowled at her. /Rokona, why did you make Sakura the Pillar?/

/Because the land was going to fall apart!/ she protested. 

Mokona turned to me. /Magic Knight Sakura, I am deeply sorry for you. And I am sorry to do this./

"Do what?" I asked.

/Every Pillar must pass my Test./

Hikaru sucked in a breath. "Mokona, _no_"

/I am aware that you have been through much as of late./ He gazed sadly at me. /But the rule remains. Until you become the full-fledged Pillar, the Eight cannot be./

"I understand," I whispered.

"What is the Test?" Fuu asked. 

"Is it the same one I had?" Hikaru's eyebrows turned up in slight fear.

Mokona sighed. /No. Are you ready, Magic Knight Sakura?/

"No," I said bluntly. "I'm not."

/You have an hour to prepare./ He started to disappear. /It will not be easy./

There was silence in the room. It was broken by a quiet, deep, familiar voice–one I'd longed to hear for so long; but now it only hurt me more.

"What the hell is going on?"

I flinched, tears creeping out from under my eyelids.

"And who is she?"

I took a deep, deep breath.

And tried not to scream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

^_^ Yet again, no comment.


	10. Have the Wish I Wish Tonight

Stone and Starfire 

Stone and Starfire

Chapter Nine: Have the Wish I Wish Tonight

Final chapter! ^_^ I'm so proud, even if I don't own this! It wasn't as much of a success so far as Shin no Chikara (my only other crossover) but I'm still really proud! Thanks to all of you who did review, and Lenna, Nelly, and Kyra in particular. You guys rock! And also SyaoranSword, cuz he let me use the ending! ^_^

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Huh." Umi stared out the window thoughtfully.

There was a click as my shoulder guard slid on. I watched Fuu nervously as she continued putting my regular armor on.

"What is it, Umi?" Hikaru asked.

"Well, when you had the Test, you went into Mokona's mouth."

"Yeah, it was really freaky."

"What if Sakura has to too?"

__

"What?!" I yelled. "I am _not_ going in anything's mouth!"

"Except Syaoran's," Caldina said wickedly.

I glared at her, blushing furiously. At the moment, that was severely _not_ funny.

In the past half an hour, everything had changed. I'd snapped out of the near-catatonic state I'd been in and started thinking rationally again. If I passed the Test to become the full Pillar, then maybe I could do _something_ about Syaoran. When he'd been dead, there was nothing I could do–but now, anything was possible.

It still hurt a lot; especially that he didn't remember me at all. But still, it was better than having him completely gone.

"There." With a tug, Fuu straightened up and surveyed her work. "You're good."

"The hour's almost up," Presea said tensely. "Let's get to the Atrium."

"Okay." I sighed, biting my lip. This wasn't the best of situations yet, and it would have made me feel a lot better to know I had Syaoran behind me.

I followed them through the halls, feeling butterflies in my stomach. _What if I don't pass? What will happen?_

I can't think like that. I'm going to pass. I **have** to pass.

I have to pass for Syaoran.

The Atrium loomed ahead, and we entered it. The men were waiting, including Syaoran.

Fresh pain nearly overwhelmed my heart, seeing him, but I blinked back tears and reminded myself of what I was here for. _I'm going to pass the Test, and then I'll find a way to bring his memories back._

The white light came back, and Mokona reappeared in the hall. /Are you ready, Magic Knight Sakura?/

"I am," I whispered. 

/Then pass down my Road and take the Test./ Sheer white light funneled around me–instead of being sucked into his mouth–and I felt myself be transported to another dimension.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a gray, flat world–and I wasn't alone.

"What the–"

Whirling, I saw _him_ standing behind me, looking confused. _How did he get here? He shouldn't–he could get hurt–_

/This is your Test,/ Mokona said for my ears only, vanishing mysteriously. 

"What is?" I yelled after him, confused. "What is my Test?"

There was no response. 

I could barely look at Syaoran, wondering what I'd gotten us both into now. _I wish he'd remember meI'd give anything just to have him remember me._

Something was coming–I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. Worse, whatever it was, I didn't like it.

I turned to Syaoran. "Shout 'Terronen' and draw your sword," I said hastily.

"What--?"

"Just _do_ it!"

He blinked, then accidentally called his Mashin as I summoned Astrendal. From the inside of the Spirit, I warily gazed around, ignoring Syaoran's jumbled curses in Japanese and Mandarin. _At least he's still bilingual_

Something fell from the sky–a monster, but bigger even than Chaos. I drew back, startled and apprehensive, and to my surprise I saw Syaoran shift into a fighting stance out of the corner of my eye.

The beast grinned, showing all of its sharp teeth, and I swallowed. For something wild, it looked almost–almost _intelligent_

"Hello," it said, lunging at me.

__

Oh my god, it can talk.

This is not good! It's smart and it's bigger than I am!

I leapt away and tightened my hold on the sword. "Stay out of this," I yelled to Syaoran. "It's my fight."

"Oh, really?" the monster taunted. "Seems like it'sotherwise!" It swung a giant fist at Syaoran, catching him by surprise and knocking him off his feet.

"NO!" Immediately, I somehow teleported myself over, planting myself between it and him. _"Leave him alone!"_

The monster opened its mouth, and sheer energy blasted out, sending me flying. When I landed, it was over me, and then a giant, taloned foot came down on my chest, holding me down. My sword was kicked out of my hand, and I watched numbly as the claws came sweeping down at me.

__

Oh my god, I failed, and now–

Now Syaoran won't get his memories back–

This can't happen–

NO!

"Starfire Inferno!"

Power flared in a silent explosion, and the beast was sent flying. I clumsily got to my feet, glaring at it. It would not win. I would get Syaoran back.

Suddenly, it grinned again, then reached over to Terronen. Its claws went right through the steel with a grating, metallic squeal, and it reached around as I watched in horror, then pulled out a thrashing figure–

And popped it into its mouth.

I stood there, unbelieving. This could not be happening. Surely, Mokona couldn't mean for this to happen again.

Terronen collapsed, then turned into the gold griffyn, weakened. 

And it was true.

Syaoran was lost to me for the second time.

It was all I could do to watch as the immense monster swallowed him whole. Then the harsh reality struck me, and I fell to my knees, vomiting. 

When I was done, I wiped my mouth grimly and looked at the beast. It stood, grinning at me, and I saw once more in my mind the claw reach in, then pull Syaoran and put him in its mouth–

And swallow him whole.

It had swallowed him _whole._

I'm going in after him.

"Astrendal, let me down." My sword went back in the glove jewel; I waited grimly for myself to reappear in the dimension we were trapped in.

When I felt the ground under my feet, I pulled the Key of Star out from under my armor. It hadn't worked in Sendelvon, but this was another dimension. Maybe it would here.

I transformed it into the wand, and when it didn't go back, I used the Jump. The beast loomed closer as I bounded towards it, my jaw set in grim determination. _I'm done with putting up with this shit. He's coming back, and I don't care if I have to friggin' sell my soul to the devil. If that's what it takes, then that's what I'll give._

With a leap, I soared up and landed on its shoulder. The giant mouth snapped at me, and I launched into the air over it. The head turned towards me, the red mouth open, the tongue lolling beneath me. I dropped in, diving down its throat. There was a crack as the twin rows of teeth slammed shut behind me, but I wasn't caught.

It was pitch dark. Swallowing back bile, I summoned the Light and the Shield, choking in the vile stench of its breath. Pink power swirled around me, forming a shield filled with air, and light illuminated the soft red flesh of its throat.

I floated down the long tube, trying to feel for Syaoran and finding nothing. Picking up the pace, I traveled for what felt like an eternity but was really only about two minutes. Soon, the passage opened up and I fell into a giant cavern. I'd reached the stomach.

The tunnel of its throat sealed behind me as I gasped. There was no going back that way anymore.

I was stuck until I could find him.

"Syaoran?" I looked around for him. "Syaoran?" 

There was no response. Frowning uncertainly, I moved forward. "Is anyone here?"

Then I remembered he didn't know how to use magic. He would have fallen straight down.

Swallowing, I looked at the giant pool of water under my feet. It looked like the beast hadn't eaten anything yet–other than Syaoran–but there was a definite lack of air here and it wouldn't have taken too long for him to pass out

He had to be underwater.

I took a deep, deep breath and dove out of Shield, dropping like a stone into the dark water. Light was at my side as I opened my eyes and peered through the blurry surroundings.

There was nothing in sight, and I was starting to run out of air. Realizing I couldn't surface–there was no air there–I pulled out Windy and used it to form an air bubble around my face. I inhaled gratefully, then swam on, frantically searching for any sign of him.

__

I have to find him

Can anyone stay underwater that long?

I tried to keep my thoughts positive, swimming faster than I'd ever swam before. Light made it easy to see for about twenty feet around me, but no further. "Light, can you try to light all of the water?"

She frowned in concentration, and a warm glow spread throughout the entire cavern, then intensified until I could see every single detail.

Looking down, I saw the floor of the pool was far, far beneath me–fifty feet at the least.

And far-off was a figure, floating limply.

__

Syaoran!

I have to get to him faster than this–

"Watery, get me to Syaoran!" I summoned the Card and she hurtled me along at a blinding pace. It was more than relieving to be able to use the Cards once more.

The distance was narrowing–and then I was there.

"Windy, Shield!" I seized his arm, and we fell into a dry sphere, instantly clean and dried off.

He was pale and still, looking anything but alive. 

"Come on, Syaoran. Wake up."

No response.  
"Come on." I shook him desperately. "Don't die. You got through everything else, you can make it through this, oh _god_ Syaoran don't die"

Yet again, no response.

Now, I'm not exactly sure where I got the idea. Well, actually I am, but I'm not sure why that particular thought popped up in my mind.

It doesn't matter now. 

All that matters is that I was sitting there, Syaoran dead again in my arms, trying to think of something–anything. And suddenly, I remembered Rokona's one obsession whenever we–or Syaoran–was in trouble and I didn't know what to do.

__

'Why don't you kiss him?'

And my last hope occurred to me. He most likely had inhaled water; so there was one obvious solution.

I bent down, fastened my mouth over his, and exhaled, then drew back. _Please,_ I pleaded to anything that would listen. _Please, let it work_

He didn't move. Panic nearly overwhelmed me; I breathed into him again and waited; waited for any sign of life; any sign he was alive.

"Please, Syaoran," I whispered. "Please be alive"

There was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

And then he flinched.

I didn't dare breathe for what was the longest second in my life.

Then he started coughing. And he was alive.

At that moment, I didn't care that he didn't remember me. I didn't care that we were in the stomach of some giant monster. I didn't care whether I passed the Test for the Pillar or not. All that mattered at that moment was that he was alive.

Eventually he stopped coughing, and passed out again. I caught him as he fell back, feeling his wrist for a pulse. There it was: faint but steady. Something told me he would wake up soon.

I stood. _We've got to get out of here_ Drawing on my starfire power, I shouted, "Starfire Inferno!"

White-silvery power blasted at the fleshy walls of our prison, and they bent, but didn't break. We were still trapped. I tried again and again, but it didn't work and we remained imprisoned.

__

I need Syaoran's helpbut he doesn't know how to use his magic

We were fairly well screwed. And I didn't know how long Shield would last; particularly against stomach acids.

Kneeling, I held his hand in mine, determined to at least spend what seemed like the last few minutes of my life with him. My mouth started moving of its own accord.

"I–I missed you," I told him, deciding that as long as he wasn't awake I could at least talk to him. "I missed you so muchand you don't even have a damn clue who I am, but I still missed youIt hurts, Syaoran, it really does. It's my fault you had to die. All I want now is just for us to be out of this. But that's not really an option at the moment, now is it?" I laughed a short, bitter laugh; one full of pain. "I can't believe you're real, and you're backeven if you don't remember anything" I smoothed the hair on his forehead, trying to hold back tears and choking up, my voice strained. "I-I wish I'd known what h-had to hap-penbut I didn't, and you didn't, and now look where it's got us" I closed my eyes in pain, not noticing that the sphere was starting to fill with a strange light. "I went crazy. I wanted to die. And now you're back, and I don't know what I want" A hot tear slipped down my cheek as fireballs started to play within my eyelids. Something seemed to be happening, but I didn't know what and I truly did not care. "I know you asked me to be strong," I sobbed. "I tried, Syaoran, I really triedbut I–I can't be strong without you"

And then gentle, shaking fingers brushed my face ever so lightly. My eyes flew open, and I saw he'd woken up, and was staring at me through incredulous, barely open eyes.

"Sa...kura?" he asked unbelievingly. "Isis it really you?"

__

"Syaoran?" My body shook with sobs. 

He sat up, looking worriedly at me, and I dissolved into tears. 

Then a pair of warm arms encircled me, pulling me closer, and I buried my face in his shoulder again. It was too good to be true.

"It's okay," his voice murmured quietly into my ear. "It's okay."

"D-D-Do you–do you–remember–?" I managed to choke out, not daring to lift my face.

"Yeah," he said softly. "Yeah, I do." His arms tightened protectively around me.

"I'm so sorry," I said dully, blearily looking up at him. "It's all my fault"

"What?" He blinked. "Sakura–"

"You wouldn't have died!" I interrupted bleakly.

"It _isn't_ your fault," he said firmly. "It never was. Sakura, you did what you had to do, and there wasn't _anything_ else you _could_ have done."

"But–but I–I _killed_ you," I said confusedly.

He looked away. "I knew I was going to die."

__

"What?!"

He shrugged. "Chaos didn't seem like he was going to go any time soon, and letting him destroy the universe wasn't an option. If you hadn't done it, I would have just killed myself somehow. It sucked, but" He trailed off, looking down at me. "I didn't want to leave you," he said lowly. 

We locked eyes for the longest moment, and then our lips met in first a gentle kiss, then a passionate one. Tears still rolled down my face, but they were tears of joy as it hit me that this was really, truly the way it was. I wouldn't wake up and find he was gone again; I wouldn't be alone ever again.

Something white and bright seemed to fill me, like I was holding light within my heart. The darkness around us was stripped away, then replaced by the gray, then by white light. I was shrouded in light and air and cloud. What was happening?

Opening my eyes, I found Syaoran gone, but before I could even begin to worry, Mokona's voice echoed in my mind.

/You have passed the Test./

"Spiffy," I muttered, asking loudly, "Where's Syaoran?"

/He is safe./ Mokona's wings fluttered as he said, /You may make one Wish as the Pillar before joining the Seven./

"A Wish?"

/One thing you want to be reality. However, this can be for either world–not just Sendelvon./

I blinked. One wish? _Something I want above all else_

That was easy: I wanted Syaoran to be happy.

Then the idea hit me. It was the one thing that had been plaguing me since the night I'd arrived; the one thing that, when Elan had been telling me I was evil, had nearly sucked me in; the one thing that had pained me most of all.

I smiled. Unless I missed my guess, he wouldn't mind this at all 

Taking a deep breath, I said clearly, "I want Syaoran to be able to marry whoever he wants, not who the Clan wants him to. I want him to be able to make his own choices about what he wants."

/Your wish is not for yourself?/ Mokona asked, somewhat surprised.

My smile widened. "In a way, it is."

/Very well. You may return to Sendelvon now, and when you meet the Seven you may will the burden of supporting the land to be spread out./

He disappeared, and I was floating down. I seemed to fall for an eternity, but then things were coming into focus

A pair of arms caught me gently, and Syaoran's face came into view, his eyes questioning. I smiled, deciding to wait on telling him until a less interesting time.

__

This could be fun

Suddenly, I noticed I was very, very tired

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran

I caught Sakura as she collapsed against my chest, pale-faced, her eyes closed. She had drained herself again.

__

All this fainting can't be that good for her

With a sigh, I picked her up, surprised at how light she was. It was like she hadn't eaten for two weeks straight

Which, it occurred to me, was probably accurate. 

Wincing, I started back towards the palace. 

____

I should have known better than to let Umi take over. I honestly, truly, absolutely should have.

But I did, partially because of the fact that I was not in the mood to fight the Hell-Bitch at the time. And, to my extreme irritation, ten minutes later I was standing outside the door with the rest of the guys, waiting until Umi deemed we were worthy to come in or something.

__

I'm really starting to get sick of this

"Look on the bright side," Ferio said dryly.

__

Talk about déjà vu, I thought silently. "What would that bright side be?" I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm alive for the second time? I actually have a clue about who I am? I'm not being possessed by the embodiment of all the evil in the world?"

He shrugged. "Pretty much."

"Great"

I glared balefully at the door. _I hate doors. Doors and barriers. They're evil._

Doors, barriers, and Eriolwhat have they all got in common? They're on a first name basis with Satan, that's what

"So?" Geo asked expectantly. "You guys were in that Test thing for a while there. Did you?"

Wearily rubbing my forehead, I sighed, "Get help."

"He already has," Zazu contributed cheerfully. "Three years with a shrink, and it helped him a lot."

I raised an eyebrow. "He's _improved?_"

"Yep."

__

That's a scary thought

Umi came out the door and I straightened. 

She whirled to face me and snapped, _"No!_ NOT YET!" then stalked off.

"Shut your mouth," Lantis advised, "or you'll get flies in there."

I shut it weakly and asked, "Does she have some kind of sixth sense or something? Cuz otherwise I think her head's going to start revolving soon."

"No comment," Clef said blandly.

__

Forget being on a first name basis with Satan, I thought silently. _Doors, barriers, Eriol, and Umi **are** Satan._

The door creaked open again, and this time it was a crimson head that poked out. Hikaru looked around, and her scarlet eyes landed on me. "Quick, get in here before Umi comes back!" she hissed, seizing my elbow and dragging me inside. 

I was too surprised to do anything other than follow her, and the door slammed shut behind me.

"Umi's cranky because Sakura hasn't woken up yet," Fuu said worriedly. "We wondered if you knew anything about it."

"Not a damn clue," I said bluntly, walking to Sakura's side and taking her hand in mine. "When's she coming back?"

"I sent her for something in the gardens," Hikaru answered.

"The only problem is that it doesn't grow there," Fuu finished. "But she doesn't know that–and it used to be all over the place until it died. She won't be back for a while."

"Okay." My mouth twisted into a sad smile as I brushed hair away from her eyes. _Talk about Sleeping Beauty_ _I guess it takes one to know one–I'm never forgiving Ms. Mizuki for that_

"Come on, Hikaru." Fuu grabbed her friend's wrist. "Let's go see if Mokona wants to talk to us."

"But wouldn't he–" An elbow in her side made her stop, and she said, "Oooooooohhh uh, yeah, let's, uh, find Mokona"

I blinked, then blushed as the door closed, leaving us alone. _Well, at least they had tact_

Rokona bounced into the room. "Why don't you kiss her?"

I jumped. "Since when do you speak human?"

She shrugged, her eyes still scrunched up and her wings still tiny as ever. "Since I learned it, that's when. But why don't you kiss her?"

I sighed. "You really should talk to Geo sometime. I think you have a lot in common."

"We did. He says that you'd better not break the bed in here."

I turned about thirty-seven different shades of red. "You know, you could go away."

"I know." She didn't move. "I'm not going anywhere until you kiss her."

I rolled my eyes. "I feel sorry for your parents."

"Ah, Mokona's just as bad," she said with a grin. "Now shut up and kiss her."

"You're obsessed, aren't you?"

"Kiss her, dammit!"

I shot her a glare. "What is that supposed to accomplish, other than giving her 'boy-germs'?"

She grinned. "She'll wake up. If you don'twell, then Sakura's going to be in Naptime for a long, long time"

I gritted my teeth. "Rokona, you need professional help."

"What are you waiting for?"

With an inner sigh, I bent down and gently kissed her.

And then she kissed me back.

I was pretty damn surprised, but it didn't mean I was going to stop. 

When we finally broke apart, she grinned mischievously, and I turned to Rokona. "You knew she was awake, didn't you?" I accused.

She smirked. "Pu."

I was about to lunge at her when she bounced away, going right _through_ the wall. "I swear" I growled. "How long have you been awake?"

"If anyone asks, I woke up a little after Hikaru and Fuu left," Sakura whispered. "Of course, it wouldn't be entirely accurate."

I smiled at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said softly. Something seemed to occur to her, and she blinked, then smiled widely. "Guess what."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

One Month Later

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Who can he marry again?" I asked into the phone.

There was a sullen mutter from the other send as we stood there, grinning wickedly. We'd called one of the Elders, and I got the sense I was becoming very unpopular.

"What? I can't hear you."

"Whoever he wants," someone grumbled.

"Louder," I yelled.

"Whoever he wants!"

"I can't hear you!"

"WHOEVER OR **WHATEVER** THE GOD DAMN HELL HE **WANTS!**" My eardrum was nearly shattered and I held the phone at arm's length, surprised but having a hard time holding in my laughter.

There was a click as the phone slammed down in Hong Kong.

"I don't think–" he paused, taking a breath between bursts of laughter. "I don't think–I don't think the Elders like you very much anymore."

"Screw them," I said rudely. "You're the leader, not them, and they can just kiss my–"

__

"Sakura!"

Touya folded his arms, glaring at me from the doorway. "No more prank calls, monster." Giving Syaoran a glare, he said dryly, "And don't do anything that either of you will regret."

"What?" I tilted my head to the side, confused, as Syaoran blushed. "What do you mean?"

He didn't respond verbally, but he did walk out and slam the door behind him.

I blinked, asking, "What's his problem?" in Mandarin. 

"Which one?" he returned. "There's a lot of them I don't even want to go into."

I giggled as the doorbell rang, then sprang to my feet. "That must be them! Come on!" Seizing his wrist, I dragged him down the stairs and to the open door in time to see Touya open it.

"Hey you guys!" I rushed to give Umi, Fuu, and Hikaru a hug. 

"Ready to go?" Fuu asked brightly.

"Yep." I slipped on my shoes, and Syaoran and I went out the door as I waved goodbye to Touya. "I'll be back soon!"

"Whatever," he muttered.

I had made some changes in Sendelvon before joining the Seven. For one thing, I had willed away every slave market or anything even related to slavery, and willed the slaves free. I'd banished the monsters everywhere, gotten rid of what Chaos had left behind, and basically cleaned the entire land up. The Seven hadn't been able to do that because no one person controlled everything, but since I was the Pillar

Then, when everything was taken care of, I had willed the burden of supporting the land to be spread out over everything and everyone, with us Eight being the strongest holders but not having the land rely on us. There had been a snap, and then it was like I wasn't the Pillar at all any more.

And that was it. Everything was done.

The engagement ring sparkled on Fuu's finger as we all piled into her car. Ferio had proposed once all the excitement had died down, and she had accepted. The only problem was that the wedding would have to be held here–so half the guests would not only be from Sendelvon, but they'd have to wear Earth clothes _and_ go by Earth protocol.

It would be a very unique wedding, indeed. And Umi, Hikaru, and I would be the bridesmaids. 

A very, very unique wedding. I didn't even want to think about what Caldina would wear. But somehow, I knew we would survive.

"How is this going to work out?" I asked curiously. "Will you live in Sendelvon, or will he live here?"

"Well, see, my apartment's right next to the Tokyo Tower, so we'll live here half the time and there half the time."

"Does he know what Earth's like?" Syaoran asked. 

"Some, from what she's told him," Umi answered. "And I think she's snuck him over here every once in a while."

"How'd you—I mean, uh—"

We laughed as she blushed. "Keep your eyes on the road," Hikaru reminded her. "At least get married before you kill us all off." 

Soon, we were plummeting through the world-passage and free-falling into Sendelvon's sky. There was a flash of silver and gold beneath us, and Terronen and Astrendal soared nearer, in their animal forms. We'd decided that they should stay to protect Sendelvon in case anything else happened. 

Syaoran and I landed on Astrendal as Umi, Fuu, and Hikaru dropped lightly onto Terronen. Despite the Spirits' metallic appearances, they were really just flesh, so it didn't hurt.

I sat up and sat on Astrendal like she was any normal horse—she'd shrunk herself so we couldn't fall off. Her mane flickered in my face, the flames not even warm. 

Syaoran's arm around me kept me steady as we descended down towards Sendelvon. I leaned back, glad to be close to him. Sendelvon stretched out around us, the view amazing. It had changed since we'd first arrived. Everything had changed.

There was a slight jolt as we landed in front of the palace, where the others were waiting.

Geo and Caldina grinned and asked at the same time, "Well?"

"Well what?" I asked, confused.

Caldina smirked. "You guys were gone for a little while"

"Did you?" Geo finished, looking expectant.

I flushed, realizing exactly what they wanted to know. "NO! YOU TWO ARE **SICK!**"

__

Maybe things haven't changed that much after all

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, that's it! No more! All done! Spifferriffic! AND FOR GOD'S SAKE, DON'T ASK ME TO DO A SEQUEL! Nobody ever paid attention to the sequel of Shin no Chikara, anywayand even if I could get a guarantee of 1,000,000 reviews, I WOULDN'T DO IT! I HAVE NO IDEAS! STONE AND STARFIRE IS **OVER!** NO MORE!

Any questions? Send 'em to Jadefire35@aol.com, okay? Lots of love to you people who DID review, and one last word:

Adiosity! ^_~

/P> 

Caldina smirked. "You guys were gone for a little while"

"Did you?" Geo finished, looking expectant.

I flushed, realizing exactly what they wanted to know. "NO! YOU TWO ARE SICK!"

Maybe things haven't changed that much after all

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, that's it! No more! All done! Spifferriffic! AND FOR GOD'S SAKE, DON'T ASK ME TO DO A SEQUEL! Nobody

ever paid attention to the sequel of Shin no Chikara, anywayand even if I could get a guarantee of 1,000,000

reviews, I WOULDN'T DO IT! I HAVE NO IDEAS! STONE AND STARFIRE IS OVER! NO MORE!

Any questions? Send 'em to Jadefire35@aol.com, okay? Lots of love to you people who DID review, and one last

word:

Adiosity! ^_~


End file.
